Police Chief: Palin Fired Me For Campaign Contributors

The Washington Independent reported on Monday that another Sarah Palin firing scandal had been overlooked:

Early in her tenure as mayor, the city council threatened to recall her over accusations that she fired the city's police chief, Irl Stambaugh, and the library director, Mary Ellen Emmons, without warning. She accused them in a letter saying: "I do not feel I have your full support in my efforts to govern the city of Wasilla. Therefore I intend to terminate your employment ..." (The Anchorage Daily News, via nexis)

Ultimately, Palin let the library director have her job back; though Stambaugh's position was not returned. The police chief took the matter to court, where a judge sided with Palin, saying city law allows the mayor to fire the police chief without cause.

ABC News today gives more information on this scandal. The police chief says he was fired because her campaign contributors, including bars and the NRA, didn't like his work:

After taking over as Mayor of the small town of Wasilla, Palin fired the longtime local police chief. The former police chief, Irl Stambaugh says he was fired because he stepped on the toes of Palin's campaign contributors, including bar owners and the National Rifle Association.

Stambaugh's lawyer, William Jermain, says the chief tried to move up the closing hours of local bars from 5 a.m. to two a.m. after a spurt of drunk driving accidents and arrests.

"His crackdown on that practice by the bars was not appreciated by her and that was one reason she terminated Irl," said Jermain.

Comments

[layman]

WHAT A BREATH OF ALASKA FRESH AIR !!!!!!!

[Chemwiz]

She obviously doesn't take any sh^t. She fires people when she needs to and has done so throughout her entire career. Go Sarah!!

[trollsbwild]

She will be booted out by no later than a week after the convention. Want to make a bet?

[crablover]

I've got this Friday in the office pool. Wish me luck!

[hbw3]

Yeah!

Drunk drivers for Sarah!

[sarasotajeff]

yeah, she'd have fit right in at the bush justice department...

[eden4barack08]

Yeah! Testicular fortitude over the rule of law. Makes you proud don't it?

[Petey131]

To fire someone because you don't like them or not work related is disgusting. This lady is dangerous. We had enough of this nonsense with Bush and cronies.

[CindyM2008]

Seems to be a pattern with Pa lin.

[robotami]

same ol' politics?

[JiminNC]

A letter from someone who has known Sarah Palin since 1992

Anne is from Wasilla, Alaska.

I found this on the Washington Post comment board and have posted it exactly as I found it.

Amazing Letter From a Local Wasillian Who Knows Sarah Palin Well.

From: http://www.washingtonindependent.com/3671/the-reform-candidate

Submitted by Michael Wrightson on Sept 1, 2008

[shelobo]

The republicans SUDDEN choice of Palin proves that McHitler STILL makes bad choices.

[YouDisgustMe]

lol mchitler...i like it

[flymic]

Sarah Palin actually SAT in a church where her pr eacher declared that terrror!st mu rd-rs of Je ws represent G-d's judgment against the Je ws for resisting Jesuss!!!

This was TWO SUNDAYS AGO!! And Sarah Palin was THERE!!!

http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/2008/09/the-right-and-a.html


Seriously, Is it me or does it feel like Christmas!!

[truthynesslover]

So why is joe lieberman all over this ticket again?Oh yeah,neoconeria!

[rcwblessed]

I sent this link to the AJL,,, they need to know.

[lakota63]

Must be election time the republican Rove trolls are out in force spreading snarky rebuttals on all the "liberals" blog sites. But the truth is that they are going to lose no matter how hard they try to make "liberals" look mean for picking on their tough, ethically challenged, little ex mayor of a po dunk town. Onward Christian Soldiers, ha, you got her, you can have her. Oh, just like Bush she left her town millions in debt after it had been debt free when she came in. Can we as a nation afford this duo? More of the Same, more debt, more war, more sellouts to big corporations, more abortions albeit probly be back-room ones, more disrespect of our country's laws and constitution, more global warming, more mass extinctions of threatened species, government cronyism, more corruption, more unitary executive rule and privilege, more right wing quacks in the Supreme Court, more inept corrupt political appointees, more poverty, more death, more destruction all around. No Thanks, I'll take a true reformer with a brain and a heart, I'll take Obama Biden.

[truthynesslover]

Hey its all abot saving the babies!! LOL,weep!

[Lynette]

When she becomes the VP, she'll fire McCain is he doesn't do what she says.

[08politicaljunkie]

She'll oust McCain because he'll veto her pork to Alaska

[Ohg]

Do you suppose then Mayor Palin fired Andy of Mayberry for being too partisan?. ..........
http://thefiresidepost.com/2008/09/03/andy-of-mayberry-for-president/

[PuppaX]

Tucker Bounds responds: "Nuh uh"

[JiminNC]

yup yup

[YouDisgustMe]

LMAO!!!!!!!

[JiminNC]

Gotta read this - http://my2bucks.wordpress.com/2008/09/02/a-letter-from-someone-who-has-known-sarah-palin-since-1992/#comment-416

A little home cooking from Wasilla -

[Hellboy973]

Wow. Amazing letter. Everyone should read this. That's one scary moose eater!

[Rjchinook]

Thanks for the links. These links need to reposted every where & I would love to see Anne's letter on the cover of national newspapers. Anne is very brave and has stronger values and morals then the entire Republican party. She is the kind of woman that stands up for what she believes in and I hope and pray she doesn't experience a terrible backlash for speaking out.

YOU GO ANNE!

[mlaiuppa]

And don't forget the BOOK BANNING!

Mary Ellen Emmons, the Librarian, was fired because she opposed Palin removing books she personally didn't like from the public library. There are processes for challenging books but Palin didn't want to follow procedures. She just wanted to ban any book she didn't like. The librarian resisted and she was fired. She was only reinstated due to public outcry.

This is FASCISM! It goes against everything our men and women are fighting for in Iraq. It's unAmerican.

This woman has no business in the White House. Her sole purpose is to push the evangelical agenda and turn the Federal Government into a Theocracy. Do we want to take a chance on McCain's health and Palin becoming President.

[Nolewoman]

It would be interesting to know what books she wanted banned. It would tell a lot about her, what books she finds offensive.

[Cloud7Raymaker]

Wow, a good Christian woman that believes bars need to be left open until 5AM? Somewhere I thought religious folk were against the sins of drug and alcohol abuse. Is it now morally acceptable to be out until 5AM drinking? Who's watching the children? /s

[truthynesslover]

WOW! maybe she should be in the white house!!Im all over that!

[JiminNC]

How else is she going to keep her kids out of the car's back seat?

[kellygrrrl]

Republicans Drink ... a lot!

[DocJerome]

That's not alcohol, it's Jesus Juice, . . . and you can drink as much as you want, as often as you want, whenever you want, as long as you know what it is called.

JJ (Jesus Juice)

[ldjfm]

Evangelicals do drink - they just do not recycle because they do not want their neighbors to know just how much they drink.

[northcan]

RNC=Gestapo....Sarah Palin used strongarm, threatening, and actual firing of all who didn't support her.......................ALLEGEDLY