Fired official has no grudge with Palin - says she is not fit to be VP - speaks out on dismissal

[jefferson_dem]

M&R: Fired official has no grudge with Palin
Sunday, September 14, 2008

The former Alaska public safety commissioner who refused to fire a state trooper embroiled in a domestic dispute with Gov. Sarah Palin's sister says he holds no grudge, but still believes the GOP vice presidential nominee is too thin-skinned for the job she hopes to fill.

"She apparently has difficulty compartmentalizing personal feelings from official acts," said Walter Monegan, who spent 33 years in the Anchorage Police Department - five years as chief - before Palin named him as the state public safety commissioner late in 2006.

Monegan says that - contrary to the governor's assertions - he believes his own firing by Palin in July was the result of his refusal to bow to pressure from her and her family to get rid of the trooper, Palin's ex-brother-in-law Mike Wooten.

"It's the biggest factor, if not the only factor," Monegan said during a telephone interview from his Alaska home.

Monegan remains at the center of a controversy about whether the Alaska governor and members of her administration tried to pressure him into firing Wooten, who is still on the job. At the time, Palin's younger sister, Molly, was involved in a bitter divorce and custody dispute with Wooten.

The Alaska Legislature is investigating the matter and may subpoena Palin's husband, Todd. It has also shown interest in having the governor herself talk to investigators, though not under subpoena. Monegan had his turn Wednesday, spending nearly the whole day telling his side.

Monegan said he knew nothing about Wooten until he was summoned to the governor's office in January 2007, after only a month on the job, for a face-to-face meeting with Palin's husband.

Monegan says Todd Palin laid out a list of grievances against Wooten, including his allegedly threatening to kill Palin's father, drinking in his squad car, Tasering his 10-year-old stepson and killing a moose without a permit.

"He was insistent" that something be done, Monegan said.

Monegan said the previous administration had already investigated every allegation and disciplined Wooten, and he saw nothing new to warrant further action.

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http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/09/14/BALE12T2N3.DTL

[tularetom]

1. OK it sounds like he might hold a tiny bit of a grudge

But it also sounds like he has good reason.

[grasswire]

2. sounds like Todd wears the pants in the governor's office.

Scary, scary abuse of power of the office!!