1st Edition
Transparency and Oversight in Campaign Finance A Case Study of the Alaska Public Offices Commission
Preface 1. Introduction 2. Post-Watergate Reform and Citizen Initiative—APOC’s Difficult Birth 3. Oil, Money, and Influence—Economic Forces and Lobbying Growth 4. The Legislature Pushes Back—Early Resistance and Funding Battles 5. Scandals and Survival—Key Cases and Responses 6. Citizens versus Elected Officials—Initiatives Versus Elimination Attempts 7. The Reality of Enforcement 8. Lessons and Legacy—What APOC’s Story Tells Us About Accountability
Biography
Paul Dauphinais has led a varied professional life. He was a secondary school teacher for a short time before joining the US Navy. He retired after 21 years of service in 1999. He earned a doctorate in history from the University of Maine and has been an administrator and instructor at several institutions. He worked for the University of Alaska from 2002–2006 and was the executive director of the Alaska Public Offices Commission from 2011–2016. He has
been happily retired since 2016, pursuing his research interests.
From inception to the present, this review of APOC’s evolution is understandable, insightful, and telling. A must read for anyone who reports to the Commission.
Cathy Cottle, Wasilla City Council Member and APOC Filer, Alaska
Paul Dauphinais’s book about the history and functioning of Alaska’s Public Offices Commission (APOC) is a must read for those interested in Alaska’s political history from the oil boom through present. From the time of APOC’s establishment in 1975 through present, the author provides succinct, informative insight into the agency, the Alaska Legislature, and ordinary Alaskans who insisted, and continue to insist, on transparency in Alaska’s government. As a five-year member of APOC, one year as vice chair and one year as chair, I had a ring side seat to the workings of APOC. This book is spot on in virtually every aspect of APOC’s inner workings and the tension between its crucial role in Alaska politics, and those who push back to attain, or maintain, power and control. This is particularly topical in light of events on a national level. I highly, and unequivocally, recommend this book.
Vance A. Sanders, Attorney at Law, Former Alaska Public Offices Commissioner, Juneau, Alaska
