News-Miner Editorial
Sen. John Coghill
Longtime North Pole lawmaker is a fine choice for the Senate
Published Saturday, October 10, 2009
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Stumble It!Gov. Sean Parnell made a solid selection in naming Rep. John Coghill to the state Senate seat vacated by Republican Gene Therriault of North Pole.
Rep. Coghill has earned the seat. He has earned it, in our view, by possessing the traits that we should want all our elected officials to possess: integrity, respect for the opposition, diligence in work, adherence to principles, regard for the Legislature as an institution.
The governor summed it up well in his Thursday news release announcing he was selecting Rep. Coghill from among a three-candidate pool that included former state Sen. Mike Miller of North Pole and Valdez resident Scott Smith, who is the District 12 chairman of the Republican Party.
“Representative Coghill’s long-standing commitment to public service and legislative experience make him respected on both sides of the aisle,” the governor said. “He knows his district well and interacts with his constituency daily. I am pleased he will continue to serve Alaska in his new post.”
The Coghill name is well known around the state. Rep. Coghill is the son of former Lt. Gov. Jack Coghill, who served under former Gov. Walter Hickel in the 1990s and is one of the signers of the Alaska Constitution. The younger Coghill was elected to the House in 1998 and served as majority leader from 2003 to 2006.
Rep. Coghill is without question a strong conservative on an array of issues. “I think I have a more conservative, direct and resolute approach to the policy process and the fiscal management of government,” he answered to the final question of a candidate survey, which asked him to point out a difference with his Republican challenger in the party’s primary election.
And he has adhered to his principles in his decade of service in the state House — at one point, back in 2000, leaving the House Republican majority because of its position on the subsistence hunting and fishing dispute. He left, along with three other conservative House members, because the GOP majority agreed to approve a state constitutional amendment allowing a rural priority for hunting and fishing. Having such an amendment would allow state law to be brought into alignment with federal law, thereby allowing state management of fish and game on federal land in Alaska. The issue remains unresolved.
Coghill also is a man of understanding. Perhaps that comes from his service as a minister; regardless, it is a trait that has served him well in the House and that should serve him well in the Senate.
We urge Senate Republicans to confirm John Coghill as the new senator from District F.
Community Discussion
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He might be the right man for the job, but he certainly did not earn the seat. The only way to earn a seat is by winning an election.
If John Coghill found some integrity, he wouldn't know what to do with it.
Congratulations, John, you're the right man for the job. Great choice, Governor Parnell.
Its not a great day for alaska that the ayatolla has been ordained to
a higher position just because we have a governor who shares his
narrow religious bigiotry views. This is no victory for the people who want even handedness in our legislators, not a zealot ideolog.
The best thing the republicans could do is reject this appointment.
Want to bet, there too many of them just like him.
Separation of Church and State is not a concept this man understands--now the Church with all the vile statements on their propaganda board will have more influence on Alaskans lives.
While the oil industry was bribing our legislators and stealing billions of dollars of our oil, where was the News-Miner? Silent. Too afraid of losing advertising revenue to ever do a lick of investigative reporting about the massive corruption that infects this state.
So where are we today? A former oil industry lobbyist now contaminates the office of governor, but even as bad as Parnell is he returned his VECO money. But what about Coghill? He kept the money and bragged about how those "contributions" helped VECO's felons have better access.
The Juneau Empire reported, under the Headline: "Candidates return VECO contributions. Many worry about public's perception of 'tainted' funds"
"Republican lieutenant governor candidate Sean Parnell returned two $500 checks that Veco officials gave him in August.
"I can best meet those standards of public trust and transparency by returning the contributions," he said.
Republican majority leader, Rep. John Coghill of North Pole, said he's not returning five $500 contributions from Veco executives "It certainly helps their access to me," Coghill said."
God-haters just can't help but show their true colors.
Well, let me think about that for a moment.
"Separation of Church and State is not a concept this man understands..."
Well, I am a Christian and I agree with 'Separation of Church and State' but I doubt I have the same interpretation of what that 'separation' should look like. I DON'T think I should have to place all my moral and religious beliefs in a 'lock box' just because they violate your particular brand of 'anti-religious' bigotry.
Don't misunderstand me; you have the right to believe whatever you want (and to be as obnoxious as you can possibly be about stating your antagonism to the rest of us). You want what you want to the exclusion of what the rest of us want; why shouldn't I - WE - vote the way we want to (to the exclusion of what you want)?
My religious convictions are part of me; they are part of why I think the way I do and they are part of the reason I vote the way I do. For those who don't like that, all I can say is, Life is tough - get used to it - it's not going to change.
From above..
"Republican majority leader, Rep. John Coghill of North Pole, said he's not returning five $500 contributions from Veco executives "It certainly helps their access to me," Coghill said."
----
Am I miss reading this??????!!!!
Coghill confessed to the reporter he sells "assess to me" for 500 dollars?
Prior posts testify to his "integrity" and "honor".
His failure to return Veco money is an ill omen.
Coghill was a leader of the House group which voted to deny "equal protection under the law" to a whole class of citizens. He either does not understand our Constitution or puts his religious beliefs ahead of upholding that Constitution.
Of the 3 names provided for appointment, Coghill was the worst. This man's fanatical when it comes to pushing his (not God's) divisive agenda on the public.
In many respects, John Coghill does have some sense of integrity.
Coghill also lacks a clear separation between his own personal religious beliefs, and the greater Public's right not to share those, let alone be mandated to support them, how ever indirectly, via 'hot-button' legisaltion.
But the bigger concern I have in this move involves Coghill's demonstrated view of the oil producing corporations' relationship to Alaska's legislature; Coghill is nearly 180 degrees off from where Gene was in much of that regard..
Remember when Murkowski 'promoted' Robin Taylor to a new job?
Not that I was a huge Taylor fan (nor did I appreciate Gene's stance on individual liberty a whole bunch), but some of the same alarms are buzzing on this move.
Folks may want to routinely remind Mr. Coghill, perhaps during an election cycle (if necessary), -exactly- who he works for; it ain't Alyeska, BP, Arco, Conoco-Phillips, or Exxon.
Nor does he promote is personal religion (period) while employed as "Senator" (without voter anointment).
tyrant
I'm curious.......you say you were born and raised here. How old are you. And do you live in Fairbanks? No criticsm here, just wondering.
We Alaskans have a habit of re-electing whoever happens to be in office. Being an incumbent is a great advantage in a political race. We need legislation to prohibit "appointees" from running for the office they are appointed to at the end of their appointed term. They should not be allowed to run as an incumbent. They should be required to sit out term before running for office.
We are in the situation now where we have one political party that is deciding who are non-elected Representatives are. This is not the American way.
Gee, I got here before the pipeline. I thought it was great. Didn't seem like a "hellhole" to me.
But then again, I like Coghill and think that he'll make an excellent senator.
Brian-
Incumbency is an advantage everywhere in our country. It's not just an Alaskan thing.
I doubt if you could get a legislator to introduce the bill that you propose. Most representatives aren't into political suicide. It would have to be a citizen initiative which would require the work of collecting voters' signatures.
Good luck!
Waytotypetheretyrant couldyoutryusingsomecapsandpunctuationsometimeorisittoomuchtroubleimsureitisaniceranteventhoughididntreadit
Coghill again. What a big surprise. Business as usual in Alaska politics.
Taters
ROFLMAO !!! :))
I look forward to a Senator John Coghill, but now we have a house vacancy.
Separation of Church and State? Where exactly is this in the constitution? If you could please post the article or amendment of the constitution where this "separation" is stated. Thanks.
tyrant,
In thirty words or less, please describe your reason for choosing to be born in Alaska.
TheBigDipper,
You make a good point about incumbency being an advantage everywhere. Although, I'm not quite sure why the idea I propose would be political suicide. Republicans make up the current crop of initially non-elected politicians, beginning with Senator Murkowski, but there is no particular reason why Democrats could not use the same "resign to appoint" technique of bypassing our public election process. It is much cheaper to smooze Party Officials, than to have the expense and hassle of campaigning to the entire electorate.
tyrant
Thanks for the info!
I have lived here since 1963 and my two kids were born in St. Joseph's Hospitaal. (I joke with them now about being born in a bank).
My 1st high school job was working in the kitchen at St. Joseph's. In fact I was working there when the quake of '64 hit. Yep I was here for the flood of '67 also.
My parents loved this state and had moved here from Montana; it was their lifelong dream. They were productive, respected, and loved members of the Fairbanks community. They both passed away here 10 years ago. I too love Fairbanks and consider it my home and I have not been "Outside" since 1980. Nothing out there could ever take the place of Fairbanks or Alaska. I will be spending the rest of my life here! Thank you for answering my questions! :)
It's funny how all you need is enough education to get an e-mail address and follow a few instructions and you can be on the News- Miner site spewing hate and absolutely false, unfounded statements. Just remember this one thing PLEASE, John Coghill is a brother, husband, grandfather, and most importantly my dad. And though I try to force myself not to read this stupidity written from people who have no clue as to who he is, I am reminded as I read it that you will NEVER find a man with more integrity and transparency as my dad. You may not like him for his religious or political views, but remember I don't get on the website and call you an idiot by name and hide behind a user name! My name is Joshua Coghill and if you want to talk about my dad maybe we could do this in person.
A little clarity. The St. Josephs Hospital wasn't actually closed by the 67 flood. Yes for a very brief period it may have, but by mid September 1967 it was again operating. The new FMH was under construction about 1970-1971.
If my dad was a dishonest dude with messed up priorites, I KNOW I'd have the integrity to recognize it.
Apple is to tree as_________________.
I predict Rynnivea Moss will soon be the newest member of the Alaska Legislature.
About time- Rynnivea is a great person.
Joshua Coghill
My wife and I met your father around 10 years ago before moving to Fairbanks,Alaska.One of the finest men ive met in my life he has a great gift of live and really cares about people,He must be really
proud of you for being their for him,and remember this verse John 15:20
"If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you"
Dear Joshua,
Good for you! It is unfortunate that these anonymous people make these vile slanders about anyone who does anything in our town, but you have to forgive them because they unfortunately do not know any better. It shows a lack of integrity to take these cheap shots, and a lack of guts to do it without identifying oneself. But they just don't seem to know any better.
I don't always agree with your dad, but I've always admired him for standing up for what he believes, and your grandpa too!
JoshBC -
While I can understand your respect and loyalty to your father, you have to remember that he has not just been appointed head of your family or church, but to an elected *public* postition that represents many diverse people.
Some of those people do not feel that he has represented them well in the past, and they have some valid reasons for saying so. Not only are they entitled to say so, but the nature of our system of elected government, *requires* that people feel free to speak out and express their opinions publicly. This is part of what holding *public* office should entail. You might want to discuss this with your father, or in your civics class. Another topic you might wish to discuss is the relative priorities of family loyalties vs public duty and the public trust, WHEN in public office, acting upon public affairs.
John Coghill can't be bought for a piddling $500 - or for any amount now that I think about it. However, a little bit of research through APOC (now that I have my very own computer)discloses that a huge amount of money was raised by unions (PACs and members) for retired union member Rep. Guttenberg and retired union member Sen. Thomas. Were they bought and paid for with the tens of thousands they got? And it looks to me like mayoral candidate Hopkins (bless his heart) got more money from Anchorage than he did from Fairbanks and that somewhere close to $10,000 of the money he raised came from unions and their members. Looks like the unions bought a lot of access here.
mr_one_time - My boyfriend and I want to know if you and your wife are one and the same...
Josh, your dad raised you well. You're a good guy, and I respect you for standing up to those who would slander your dad. I'm not a Republican, but understand that whoever Parnell chose would have to be someone of that party, so no bitter feelings on my part. I don't know your dad, but I'm sure that as an experienced legislator, he'll have the knowledge to hit the ground running, and I'm sure he'll do a great job.
I nominate Robert Gentleman for the vacant House seat.
Pearl-
thank you for the short civics class. However I find it altogether pointless as my complaint has never been with " civil" discourse. I find the name calling and unfounded attacks both rude and not at all civil. You don't need my permission to disagree with my dad, however if you could do it in a civil and respectable way both I and many others would appreciate it.
krissy
My wife and I are twins but not related.
It never ceases to amaze me how these Blogs Digress from the topic at hand. It is truely comical. Why is anyone surprised by Coghills appointment? Was there really anyone else to be considered? Whether I agree with it or not, it did not surprise me.
Try your best to keep the BLOG Matter consistant with Topic of the article. OOOPS Maybe I made a spelling error someone can rag on me about.
Good Luck Coghill.
I could understood if John refused this seat. He is now leaving a district that seems to be tailor made for him. No representative is loved by everyone in their district. It varies between absolute love and out and out hate. My own feeling is his love to hate ratio was extremely high or high enough to get him Elected.
He isn’t like Gene, he isn’t like his dad. I see the risk level of him losing his seat elevated. If a the D’s don’t shoot themselves in the foot which happens more than not.
Put_Alaska_First
I believe your prediction that Rynnivea Moss is almost an absolute certainty.
NativeSon: God Haters? Separation of Church and State has nothing to do with whether one believes in God or not. One's belief in God and religious beliefs should not dictate laws.
JoshBC - I have no respect for either Jack or John Coghill, based on personal experience and long observation.
I don't believe "integrity", "principled" or "ethical" are words that can be truthfully applied to either individual's actions, taken in total.
I have found John Cohill's words and representations to be radically different from his actions, on a number of critical issues and occasions. I believe both he and the DNM will be gratefull if I do not publicly air details of the experiences upon which I base my opinion, but the observations might be made by anyone wishing to do the digging and some knowledge of where to start.
I also have no desire to discuss a man's shortcomings with his children. A man earns filial affection by his behavior to his children, and is entitled to what he earns.
As I am entitled to my opinion, which I stated exceptionally civilly, under the circumstances. And I will stand by it.
I do not particularily dislike Rep. Coghill, but he is WAY to far to the religious right for my liking. I am very conservative, but on some social issues, I am 100% libertarian. John Coghill is not, IMHO.
JoshBC,
My comments were addressed to the situation, not the person. Maybe ask your Dad about his opinion of my proposal I outlined earlier, which I could summarize as making someone ineligible for election if they were currently appointed to the position for which they running for election. Intent: To minimize the party advantages of the current "resign in order to appoint" process, which in my opinion, is an end-run around our democratic process. If he agrees with my position, maybe he could introduce legislation to address this issue.
PS, Don't confuse politics with real life.
Coghill is a narrow-minded, religious zealot and homophobic bigot. He will do well in the Alaska Senate where such ideologies shape discussion of nearly all issues.
Pearl
Regarding John Coghill, you can do better than what you
muttered about nothing.
mr_ what happened to the wife? She disagree for once?
I might just do a book on the Coghills, their striving for power, money, and influence. Or maybe just a chapter, there are so many like them. You could buy a cc.
But I wouldn't thrust it under his son's nose, even if the kid is so arrogant as to try to reprimand his elders, while committing the same 'sin' himself. [so like his dad, what a family!].
I don't have any problem backing what I say, but I doubt the DNM would want to be the publisher. And I feel I owe the DNM that courtesy, since they make these comment lines available for public discussion.
susheela---thank you for your statement and well said---I am not a god hater---or church hater---just don't think any church or religion should influence government--look at Muslim countries where this happens---Iran for one---peoples rights and beliefs are stomped on if they don't tow the company line---that is why Coghill is not a good politician, he makes no bones about being influenced.
Pearl
My wife and I says you just mutter way to much without nothing to back it up! Get it? grumble sullenly
I just wonder, will he try to shut down Senior Benefits again?
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