Palin redecorated her mayor's office for $50k AND without council approval

[LynneSin]

http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2008/09/17/palin_mayor/index.html?source=rss&aim=/news/feature

Sarah Palin's wasteful ways
She poses as a fiscal watchdog, but when Palin was mayor, she grabbed city funds to give her office a pricey "bordello" makeover.

Editor's note: You can find Salon's complete coverage of Sarah Palin here.

By David Talbot

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Read more: David Talbot, Alaska, John McCain, Politics, News, 2008 election, Sarah Palin



AP Photo/Al Grillo

Sarah Palin in Anchorage, Alaska, Aug. 8, 2002. Palin was mayor of Wasilla, Alaska, from 1996-2002.

Sept. 17, 2008 | WASILLA, Alaska -- Sarah Palin has been touting herself as fiscal watchdog throughout her political career. But Palin's tenure as mayor of Wasilla, Alaska, was characterized by waste, cronyism and incompetence, according to government officials in the Matanuska Valley, where she began her fairy-tale political rise.

"Executive abilities? She doesn't have any," said former Wasilla City Council member Nick Carney, who selected and groomed Palin for her first political race in 1992 and served with her after her election to the City Council.

Four years later, the ambitious Palin won the Wasilla mayor's office -- after scorching the "tax and spend mentality" of her incumbent opponent. But Carney, Palin's estranged former mentor, and others in city hall were astounded when they found out about a lavish expenditure of Palin's own after her 1996 election. According to Carney, the newly elected mayor spent more than $50,000 in city funds to redecorate her office, without the council's authorization.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

1. The hits just keep coming, don't they?

Nice job "vetting" this twit.


HAHAHAHAHAHA!

[codjh9]

19. Typical Ree-pub - a f-ing crook over and over and over. Just incredible.

[Jennicut]

2. Yes, some fiscal conservative she has turned out to be. Nice one McLame.

[Eric J in MN]

3. I'm still skeptical that Sarah Palin paid for the tanning bed...

...in the governor's office with her own money.

The people making that claim on her behalf haven't actually seen details of the transaction.

Until someone independent examines the transaction and confirms otherwise, I'm going to believe that she used public funds for the tanning bed.

[vaberella]

14. You and I know and most Dems know she didn't. 35,000? Let's be real.

We should send this to the enquirer, they'll let us know.

[Sanity Claws]

4. How many rape kits would that have bought?

Pretty outrageous to spend that kind of money on redecorating when she also cuts rape kits from budget for alleged budgetary reasons.

[vaberella]

18. At $600 a kit. (roughly-it can go up to $1200), not counting hospital stay for severity.

It would provide 83.333 kits. If it's at the 300 minimum price, it would provide about 167 kits.

http://opedna.com/2008/09/08/wasilla-police-billed-sexual-assault-victims-for-rape-kits/

[Mabus]

21. Not to mention the duplicate emergency system

that wasn't needed. You can bet that part of what they are spending on the unneeded, separate emergency system could purchase a number of rape kits.

[progressivebydesign]

5. As an interior designer, I'd say the red flocked wallpaper disqualifies her for the job.

It's not Disneyland's haunted house! It's a City hall.

[TommyO]

7. I want to see pictures of this monstrosity!

[progressivebydesign]

24. Damn! I was hoping for pics of it., too. I'll see if I can find some online to post. n/t

[chatnoir]

28. Can you imagine red-flocked wallpaper circa 1895 complete with dead animals hanging on it?

Def want to see pics of this.

[chatnoir]

11. Sounds like Cruella de Ville's pad lol

[LynneSin]

23. Like a Bordello? Sounds like the Chicken Bunny Ranch

:eyes:

[rucky]

16. It's a haunted house when Palin's occupying it.

[chatnoir]

25. LOL Too right.

[Lars39]

6. I didn't realize the sports complex isn't easily accessible for the kids.

:(

[vaberella]

15. Are you fuckin' kidding me? The one in Wasilla right? I hate this woman.

She's worse than Andrea Mitchell, Amy Holmes, and Chuck Todd combined---with a mix of Wolf Blitzer.

[PBS Poll-435]

8. 'I'm the mayor, I can do whatever I want until the courts tell me I can't'

:scared::scared:

[ramapo]

9. $50K???!!!

Any mayor spending that kind of money here in North Jersey would find themselves in deep shit without a raft.

[LynneSin]

10. And not to be snarky, a family could buy a house for $50k in Alaska

Mind you, not anything fancy but a nice solid home for 2 kids & the family dog

[Peacetrain]

12. Are you serious?? Great catch!!!

edit for spelling

[vaberella]

13. Did she use her own money here as well? This is utter nonsense. Send this to KO.

This is the ultimate spender.

[nichomachus]

17. Seriously! $50K redecorating this????

It looks like a convenience store.

[vaberella]

20. She's never heard of designing on a dime. n/t

[nichomachus]

22. I completely gutted my house

tore out some ugly built-ins, built a wall to break up a too-big space, put in new drywall throughout, new flooring, all new appliances, painted throughout, new lighting, new electric outlets, new toilets -- and spent less than $35K. And, I'm a klutz, so I did none of the work myself (in case you're wondering).


Give me a freaking break.

Red flocked wallpaper? That alone is reason to keep her moose-stained mitts off the White House. Jackie Kennedy would come back from the dead to haunt her.

[chatnoir]

26. Holy crap! "May I take your order?"

They have a walk-up window!

[nichomachus]

27. One Mooseburger with the works. n/t

[msallied]

31. She should have gone on Trading Spaces.

[hamsterjill]

29. Palin is a complete fraud!

Hopefully being fully exposed.

The hits just keep on coming!!!

[Cha]

30. Rec'd~ There had to be some way palin left Wasilla

$20 Million in Debt..Was it the money she was trickling up?

[Major Hogwash]

32. That's illegal. It's called "improper use of public funds." It's what brought our last mayor down.

That and the fact that he tried to cover it up.

It's a misdemeanor, charges of which can be filed as late as 3 years after the crime took place.

[LynneSin]

33. Yes but your senator wasn't cute & perky Sarah Palin

:puke: