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Palin's Previous Firing




Andrew Sullivan has been hammering McCain nonstop over the Palin pick. He does point to an interesting nugget.

On becoming mayor a decade ago, Palin fired the police chief of Wasilla, along with the library director, each of whom had supported her opponent in the mayoral race. The aftermath seems to parallel her recenting firing of Walt Monegan, Alaska's former public safety commissioner, which I've written about a couple of times.

The Anchorage Daily News reported in 1997:

A recall of Mayor Sarah Palin is off the table, at least for now, according to a group calling itself Concerned Citizens for Wasilla. The group of about 60 residents was formed Friday in response to Palin's controversial firing of Police Chief Irl Stambaugh. Members say they're concerned about the direction taken by Palin since her election last fall, and discussed a recall.

The media have been all over the "Troopergate" story the last couple of days. It may not be all that big a deal in the scheme of things, but it's certainly shaping up as a central aspect of the initial picture Palin presents to the nation. With such a relatively thin resume, it's natural that this has taken on such importance. (Especially on a ticket seeking to succeed an administration in which "loyalty is the new competence.")



 


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Alan Greenblatt is a GOVERNING correspondent.

E-mail: mailbox@governing.com
Twitter: @governing

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