Kevin Meyer (politician) explained

Kevin Meyer
Office:14th Lieutenant Governor of Alaska
Governor:Mike Dunleavy
Term Start:December 3, 2018
Term End:December 5, 2022
Predecessor:Valerie Davidson
Successor:Nancy Dahlstrom
Office1:President of the Alaska Senate
Term Start1:January 20, 2015
Term End1:January 17, 2017
Predecessor1:Charlie Huggins
Successor1:Pete Kelly
Office2:Majority Leader of the Alaska Senate
Term Start2:January 18, 2011
Term End2:January 15, 2013
Predecessor2:Johnny Ellis
Successor2:John Coghill
Office3:Member of the Alaska Senate
Term Start3:January 20, 2009
Term End3:December 3, 2018
Predecessor3:John Cowdery (O)
Johnny Ellis (L)
Anna MacKinnon (M)
Successor3:Peter Micciche (O)
Lesil McGuire (L)
Chris Birch (M)
Constituency3:O district (2009–2013)
L district (2013–2015)
M district (2015–2018)
Office4:Member of the Alaska House of Representatives
Term Start4:January 8, 2001
Term End4:January 20, 2009
Predecessor4:Jerry Sanders (19th)
Joe Hayes (30th)
Successor4:Tom Anderson (19th)
Charisse Millett (30th)
Constituency4:19th district (2001–2003)
30th district (2003–2009)
Term Start5:December 14, 1999
Term End5:May 16, 2000
Predecessor5:George Wuerch
Successor5:Fay Von Gemmingen
Office6:Member of the Anchorage Assembly
from Seat G
Term Start6:May 1, 1993
Term End6:January 7, 2001
Predecessor6:Duane French
Successor6:Dick Traini
Birth Name:Kevin Gerald Meyer
Birth Date:9 May 1956
Birth Place:Beatrice, Nebraska, U.S.
Party:Republican
Spouse:Marty
Children:2
Education:University of Nebraska, Lincoln (BS)
University of New Mexico (MPA)
Alaska Pacific University (MBA)

Kevin Gerald Meyer (born May 9, 1956 in Beatrice, Nebraska) is an American politician who served as the 14th lieutenant governor of Alaska from 2018 to 2022. He was a Republican member of the Alaska Senate from January 20, 2009 to December 3, 2018, representing District M.[1] He was president of the Alaska Senate, leading a caucus of 14 Republicans and 1 Democrat from 2015 to 2017. Meyer served in the Alaska Legislature continuously from 2003 to 2018, in both the Alaska House of Representatives and Senate, previously representing the district when it was District O. He works as an investment recovery coordinator for ConocoPhillips.

On December 29, 2021, Meyer announced that he would not be seeking a second term.[2]

Education

Meyer earned his BS in business administration from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, his MPA from the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque, and his MBA from Alaska Pacific University.[3]

Elections

Controversies

In 2013, Meyer voted with the Alaska Senate Majority to pass Senate Bill 21, restructuring the state of Alaska's tax code for oil companies and reducing their tax burden. This vote benefited Meyer's full-time employer, ConocoPhillips. (Membership in the Alaska state legislature is not a full-time position, and Meyer, like many of his fellow members, maintain full-time employment elsewhere, taking leave when the legislature is in session.) When the bill came to the Senate floor, Meyer asked to be recused from voting. Under legislative rules, however, a member of the legislature must vote if any other members object, and several did.[16]

In 2015, Meyer announced he had offered a contract for communications consulting to McHugh Pierre.[17] Pierre formerly served as the civilian second in command for the Alaska State Department of Military and Veterans Affairs, but was forced to resign in 2014 after investigation revealed he had exerted inappropriate and undue influence to derail an investigation of a high school friend of his then serving in the National Guard and suspected of sexually assaulting another member of the Alaska National Guard. Investigation also revealed Pierre attempted to coerce whistle-blowers into signing non-disclosure agreements prohibiting them from speaking to the media or outsiders about ongoing problems with multiple sexual assaults and other misconduct in the Alaska National Guard.[18] Meyer described the allegations against Pierre, including those contained in the report prepared by the National Guard Bureau's Office of Complex Investigations as "hearsay."

In 2020, Meyer decided to mail absentee ballot applications to voters 65 and older, but not to younger voters. The Disability Law Center of Alaska and other plaintiffs are suing Lieutenant Governor Meyer and the State of Alaska on the grounds that this constitutes unconstitutional discrimination. The plaintiffs want absentee ballot applications mailed to all voters.[19]

External links

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Notes and References

  1. Web site: Kevin Meyer . . . October 31, 2013 . November 4, 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20131104135836/http://senate.legis.state.ak.us/senator.php?id=mey . dead .
  2. Web site: Alaska Lt. Gov. Kevin Meyer will not run for reelection in 2022. Anchorage Daily News. December 29, 2021. December 31, 2021.
  3. Web site: Senator Kevin Meyer's Biography . . October 31, 2013.
  4. Web site: Election Summary Report State of Alaska Primary Election 2000 . State of Alaska Division of Elections . Juneau, Alaska . October 31, 2013 . January 24, 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170124015433/http://elections.alaska.gov/results/00PRIM/results.htm . dead .
  5. Web site: Election Summary Report State of Alaska General Election 2000 . State of Alaska Division of Elections . Juneau, Alaska . October 31, 2013.
  6. Web site: State of Alaska Primary Election August 27, 2002 Official Results . State of Alaska Division of Elections . Juneau, Alaska . October 31, 2013.
  7. Web site: State of Alaska General Election November 5, 2002 Official Results . State of Alaska Division of Elections . Juneau, Alaska . October 31, 2013.
  8. Web site: State of Alaska 2004 Primary Election August 24, 2004 . State of Alaska Division of Elections . Juneau, Alaska . October 31, 2013.
  9. Web site: State of Alaska 2004 General Election November 2, 2004 Official Results . State of Alaska Division of Elections . Juneau, Alaska . October 31, 2013.
  10. Web site: State of Alaska 2006 Primary Election August 22, 2006 . State of Alaska Division of Elections . Juneau, Alaska . October 31, 2013.
  11. Web site: State of Alaska 2006 General Election November 7, 2006 Official Results . State of Alaska Division of Elections . Juneau, Alaska . October 31, 2013.
  12. Web site: State of Alaska 2008 Primary Election August 26, 2008 Official Results . State of Alaska Division of Elections . Juneau, Alaska . October 31, 2013.
  13. Web site: State of Alaska 2008 General Election November 4, 2008 Official Results . State of Alaska Division of Elections . Juneau, Alaska . October 31, 2013.
  14. Web site: State of Alaska 2012 Primary Election August 28, 2012 Official Results . State of Alaska Division of Elections . Juneau, Alaska . October 31, 2013.
  15. Web site: State of Alaska 2012 General Election November 6, 2012 Official Results . State of Alaska Division of Elections . Juneau, Alaska . October 31, 2013.
  16. Web site: ConocoPhillips employees steer Alaska oil tax cut bill through Legislature . Alaska Dispatch News . Anchorage, Alaska . January 10, 2015.
  17. Web site: Senate majority to hire official ousted amid National Guard scrutiny . Alaska Dispatch News . Anchorage, Alaska . January 10, 2015.
  18. Web site: Military and Veterans Affairs official resigns at Parnell's request . Alaska Dispatch News . Anchorage, Alaska . January 10, 2015.
  19. Web site: Complaint for Declaratory and Injunctive Relief . Equal Citizens . September 9, 2020.