Jump to content

Cathy Giessel: Difference between revisions

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Browse history interactively
← Previous editNext edit →
Content deleted Content added
VisualWikitext
Script-assisted style fixes: mainly date formats
Updated to reflect changes since end of Session I of the 28th Alaska Legislature
Line 4: Line 4:
|name = Catherine A. Giessel
|name = Catherine A. Giessel
|honorific-suffix =
|honorific-suffix =
|image = Cathy Giessel - Alaska State Senate Photo.jpg|thumbnail|Senator Cathy Giessel]]
|image =
|alt =
|alt =
|state_senate = Alaska
|state_senate = Alaska
|district = P
|district = N
|term_start = January 18, 2011
|term_start = January 15, 2013
|term_end =
|term_end =
|predecessor = [[Con Bunde]]
|predecessor = (redistricting took effect)
|state_senate2= Alaska
|successor =
|district2 = P
|term_start2 = January 18, 2011
|term_end2 = January 15, 2013
|predecessor2 = [[Con Bunde]]
|successor2 = (redistricting took effect)
|birth_date = {{birth date and age|1951|11|9}}
|birth_date = {{birth date and age|1951|11|9}}
|birth_place = [[Fairbanks, Alaska]]
|birth_place = [[Fairbanks, Alaska]]
|party = Republican
|party = Republican
|spouse = Richard
|spouse = Richard
|children = Three
|children = Peter, David, and Elisabeth
|alma_mater = [[University of Michigan]]
|alma_mater = [[University of Michigan]], [[University of Alaska Anchorage]]
|profession = Nurse
|profession = Nurse
|website = http://cathygiessel.com/index.php
|website = http://cathygiessel.com/index.php
}}
}}


'''Catherine Andrea "Cathy" Giessel''', (née Bohms; born November 9, 1951)<ref>''The 1970 Cache'' (Lathrop High School yearbook), p. 31</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.courtrecords.alaska.gov/pa/pa.urd/pamw2000.o_party_sum?172320|title=Defendant – Summary (3AN-04-07749MO Municipality of Anchorage vs. Giessel, Catherine A)|work=CourtView|publisher=[[Alaska Court System]]|accessdate=October 15, 2011}}</ref> is a [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] politician from the U.S. state of [[Alaska]]. Giessel currently serves as a member of the [[Alaska Senate]] representing District P, which covers portions of [[Anchorage]] and [[Eagle River (Anchorage)|Eagle River]] near to [[Chugach State Park]], eastern and southern reaches of the Anchorage Hillside, and the Turnagain Arm communities of [[Girdwood]] and [[Hope, Alaska|Hope]] as well as [[Whittier, Alaska|Whittier]]. First elected in 2010 while self-identified with [[Tea Party movement|Tea Party]] values, she has also served as the vice-chair of the [[Republican Party of Alaska|state Republican Party]] and held a career in nursing. Owing to redistricting, she is standing for reelection in 2012. She is a member of the 'Senate Minority' caucus.
'''Catherine Andrea "Cathy" Giessel''', (née Bohms; born November 9, 1951)<ref>''The 1970 Cache'' (Lathrop High School yearbook), p. 31</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.courtrecords.alaska.gov/pa/pa.urd/pamw2000.o_party_sum?172320|title=Defendant – Summary (3AN-04-07749MO Municipality of Anchorage vs. Giessel, Catherine A)|work=CourtView|publisher=[[Alaska Court System]]|accessdate=October 15, 2011}}</ref> is a [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] politician from the U.S. state of [[Alaska]]. Giessel currently serves as a member of the [[Alaska Senate]] representing District N,
which covers the South Anchorage Hillside, and the Turnagain Arm communities of [[Bird]], [[Indian]], [[Girdwood]], [[Hope, Alaska|Hope]], [[Cooper Landing]], [[Sterling]], [[Nikiski]], [[Bear Creek]], and [[Moose Pass]], as well as [[Seward]]. First elected in 2010 while self-identified with [[Tea Party movement|Tea Party]] values, she has also served as the vice-chair of the [[Republican Party of Alaska|state Republican Party]] and held a career in nursing. Following redistricting, she was elected into a different senate seat in 2012 and serves as chair of the Resources Committee and is a member of the Senate Majority Caucus.<ref name="Alaska Senate Majority">{{cite web|title=Sen. Giessel - Senate Majority Homepage|url=http://www.alaskasenate.org/giessel/|work=Senate Majority Press Website|publisher=Senate Majority Press|accessdate=14 April 2013}}</ref>


== Early life and career ==
== Early Life and Career ==
Giessel's father, Jerry Bohms, moved to Alaska in the late 1940s and worked for Wien Alaska Airlines – a predecessor to [[Wien Air Alaska]] – while her mother Ruth holds a degree from [[Gonzaga University School of Law]] and admitted both before the bars of Alaska and the [[United States Supreme Court]].<ref name=CGBio>{{cite web|title=CG: Biography|url=http://cathygiessel.com/biography.php|publisher=Cathy Giessel|accessdate=August 22, 2011}}</ref> Ruth Bohms was herself a candidate for the [[Alaska Legislature]] in 1992, running as an [[Alaskan Independence Party]] candidate for a Fairbanks-based seat in the [[Alaska House of Representatives]]. Giessel graduated from [[Lathrop High School]] in [[Fairbanks, Alaska|Fairbanks]] and thereafter gained a Bachelor of Science in nursing from the [[University of Michigan]] before moving to [[Anchorage]] in 1974.<ref name=CGBio/>
Giessel's father, Jerry Bohms, moved to Alaska in the late 1940s and worked for Wien Alaska Airlines – a predecessor to [[Wien Air Alaska]]. Her mother Ruth holds a degree from [[Gonzaga University School of Law]] and both her and Jerry were admitted before the bars of Alaska and the [[United States Supreme Court]].<ref name=CGBio>{{cite web|title=CG: Biography|url=http://cathygiessel.com/biography.php|publisher=Cathy Giessel|accessdate=August 22, 2011}}</ref> Ruth Bohms was a candidate for the [[Alaska Legislature]] in 1992, running as an [[Alaskan Independence Party]] candidate for a [[Fairbanks]]-based seat in the [[Alaska House of Representatives]]. Giessel graduated from [[Lathrop High School]] in [[Fairbanks, Alaska|Fairbanks]] and thereafter gained a Bachelor of Science in nursing from the [[University of Michigan]] before moving to [[Anchorage]] in 1974.<ref name=CGBio/>


She performed as an advanced nurse practitioner<ref name=RSC/> across a variety of clinics in Anchorage and the [[North Slope Borough]] and continues to do healthcare consulting, and gained a master's degree in nursing from the [[University of Alaska Anchorage]] in 2000.<ref name=CGBio/> She has been on the Alaska Board of Nursing, serving five years as its chairperson, and also on the Alaska Healthcare Strategy Planning Council.<ref name=RSC>{{cite web|title=Senator Cathy Giessel|url=http://www.aksenateminority.com/archives/271|publisher=The Republican Senate Caucus|accessdate=August 22, 2011}}</ref> In 2010, she was named an 'exceptional leader' by the National Council of State Boards of Nursing.<ref name=RSC/>
She worked as an advanced nurse practitioner<ref name=RSC/> across a variety of clinics in Anchorage and the [[North Slope Borough]] and continues to do healthcare consulting, and gained a master's degree in nursing from the [[University of Alaska Anchorage]] in 2000.<ref name=CGBio/> She has been on the Alaska Board of Nursing, serving five years as its chairperson, and also on the Alaska Healthcare Strategy Planning Council.<ref name=RSC>{{cite web|title=Senator Cathy Giessel|url=http://www.aksenateminority.com/archives/271|publisher=The Republican Senate Caucus|accessdate=August 22, 2011}}</ref> In 2010, she was named an 'exceptional leader' by the [[National Council of State Boards of Nursing]].<ref name=RSC/>


== Politics ==
== Political Involvement ==
Before gaining her Senate seat, Giessel became the focus in 2008 of a campaign by [[Joe Miller (Alaska politician)|Joe Miller]] to elevate her to the chair of the [[Republican Party of Alaska]].<ref name=FN>{{cite news|last=Joling|first=Dan|title=Alaska GOP Beset by Turmoil, Competition|url=http://www.foxnews.com/wires/2008Mar14/0,4670,AlaskaGOPRift,00.html|accessdate=August 22, 2011|newspaper=[[Fox News]]|date=March 14, 2008}}</ref> At the time she was vice-chair of the party, but the campaign failed and she stepped down from her position that year.<ref name=Resume>{{cite web|title=CG: Resume|url=http://cathygiessel.com/resume.php|publisher=Cathy Giessel|accessdate=August 22, 2011}}</ref> She was also on [[Sean Parnell]]'s campaign team during his attempt to oust Republican [[Don Young]] from his hold of [[Alaska's At-large congressional district|Alaska's congressional seat]] [[United States House of Representatives election in Alaska, 2008|in 2008]].<ref name=AD/>
Before gaining her Senate seat, Giessel served on [[Sean Parnell]]'s campaign team during his race against [[Don Young]] during the Republican primary for [[Alaska's At-large congressional district|Alaska's congressional seat]] [[United States House of Representatives election in Alaska, 2008|in 2008]].<ref name=AD/>


== Alaska Senate ==
Giessel sought to win Senate District P in 2010 when incumbent Republican [[Con Bunde]] decided to retire, and she faced two moderates in her party primary: Anchorage assemblywoman Jennifer Johnston and cardiologist Mark Moronell. Taking advantage of the split in the moderate vote, and possibly capitalizing on increased turnout on a parental notification initiative that she had lent her activism to, she won her party's nomination for the general election – 46% over 28% for Moronell and 25% for Johnston.<ref name=AD/>
=== 2010 Senate District P Election ===
⚫
Giessel sought to win Senate District P in 2010 when incumbent Republican [[Con Bunde]] decided to retire, and she faced two moderates in her party primary: Anchorage assemblywoman Jennifer Johnston and cardiologist Mark Moronell. Taking advantage of the split in the moderate vote she won her party's nomination for the general election – 46% over 28% for Moronell and 25% for Johnston.<ref name=AD/> The Alaska Dispatch, referred to the district election ‘as [what seems to be] the most important legislative race this year.’ Giessel identified herself with [[Tea Party movement|Tea Party]] ideals but did not consider herself a Tea Party candidate.<ref name=AD>{{cite news|last=Epler|first=Patti|title=A three-way battle for the Anchorage Hillside|url=http://www.alaskadispatch.com/article/three-way-battle-anchorage-hillside|accessdate=August 22, 2011|newspaper=Alaska Dispatch|date=September 13, 2011}}</ref> In the November election, she beat Democrat Janet Reiser and independent conservative Phil Dziubinski 49% to 39% and 12% respectively.<ref name=TAS>{{cite news|title=Republicans gaining in Alaska House|url=http://www.thearcticsounder.com/article/1044republicans_gaining_in_alaska_house|accessdate=August 22, 2011|newspaper=The Arctic Sounder|date=November 3, 2011}}</ref>


During her freshman term, Giessel served on the Senate committees on labor & commerce, state affairs, the finance subcommittee on the legislature, and was a member of the Joint In-State Gas Caucus. She aligned herself with the 'Senate Minority' caucus: a grouping of Republican senators who rejected the dominant bipartisan 'Senate Majority' caucus.<ref name=RSC/>
⚫
In response to a questionnaire sent by the Alaska Family Action group, Giessel conveyed pro-life viewpoints, constitutional limits on benefits for same-sex couples and legislative blocks on the expansion of gambling excepting a referendum.<ref name=AFA>{{cite web|title=2010 Values Voter Guide|url=http://www.alaskafamilyaction.org/pdfs/AK-VoterGuide-StateLegislature-081210-FINAL.pdf|publisher=Alaska Family Action|accessdate=August 22, 2011}}</ref> The Alaska Dispatch, which also referred to the district election 'as [what seems to be] the most important legislative race this year', said she identifies with [[Tea Party movement|Tea Party]] ideals but does not consider herself a Tea Party candidate.<ref name=AD>{{cite news|last=Epler|first=Patti|title=A three-way battle for the Anchorage Hillside|url=http://www.alaskadispatch.com/article/three-way-battle-anchorage-hillside|accessdate=August 22, 2011|newspaper=Alaska Dispatch|date=September 13, 2011}}</ref> Come November, she beat Democrat Janet Reiser and independent conservative Phil Dziubinski 49% to 39% and 12% respectively.<ref name=TAS>{{cite news|title=Republicans gaining in Alaska House|url=http://www.thearcticsounder.com/article/1044republicans_gaining_in_alaska_house|accessdate=August 22, 2011|newspaper=The Arctic Sounder|date=November 3, 2011}}</ref>


==== Committee Assignments ====
⚫
Giessel has gained membership on the Senate committees on labour & commerce, state affairs, the finance subcommittee on the legislature, and she is also on the Joint In-State Gas Caucus. She is also aligned with the 'Senate Minority' caucus: a grouping of Republican senators who have rejected the dominant bipartisan 'Senate Majority' caucus.<ref name=RSC/> In the 2011 mid-term Alaska Business Report Card – a grading system run by several Alaska business coalitions judging state officials on how favourable they are to the business community – Giessel received an A+, the only senator to receive the highest grade, and only one of five state legislators in both houses.<ref name=ABRC2011>{{cite web|title=2011 midterm Alaska Business Report Card|url=http://www.alaskabusinessreportcard.com/2011/midtermgrades.html|publisher=Alaska Business Report Card|accessdate=December 14, 2011}}</ref>
* Senate Committee on Labor and Commerce
* Senate Committee on State Affairs
* Senate Finance subcommittee on the Legislature


==== Caucus Membership ====
Despite being elected in 2010 to serve a four-year term, subsequent redistricting has meant Giessel will now be facing a fresh election in 2012, for which she is standing – her new seat being District N.<ref name=PC>{{cite news|last=Dischner|first=Molly|title=New lines drawn|url=http://peninsulaclarion.com/news/2011-06-15/new-lines-drawn|accessdate=August 22, 2011|newspaper=Peninsula Clarion|date=June 15, 2011}}</ref>
* Joint Legislative In-State Gas Caucus
* Joint Legislative Outdoor Heritage Caucus
* Anchorage Caucus


=== 2012 Senate District N Election ===
[[File:28th Alaska Legislature - Senate Swear In Ceremony.jpg|thumbnail|Senator Giessel being sworn in during the opening session of the 28th Legislature]]
Though elected in 2010 to serve a four-year term, redistricting led to her being up for election again in 2012 for a new senate seat serving District N.<ref name=PC>{{cite news|last=Dischner|first=Molly|title=New lines drawn|url=http://peninsulaclarion.com/news/2011-06-15/new-lines-drawn|accessdate=August 22, 2011|newspaper=Peninsula Clarion|date=June 15, 2011}}</ref> In the August Republican primary, Giessel defeated challenger Joe Arness by 67%.<ref name="2012 Primary Results">{{cite web|title=Alaska 2012 Primary Election Official Results|url=http://www.elections.alaska.gov/results/12PRIM/data/results.htm|work=Alaska Division of Elections|publisher=State of Alaska|accessdate=15 April 2013}}</ref> She won the November general election, defeating independent Ron Devon 58.8% to 40.7%. <ref name="2012 General Election">{{cite web|title=Alaska 2012 General Election Official Results|url=http://www.elections.alaska.gov/results/12GENR/data/results.htm|work=Alaska Division of Elections|publisher=State of Alaska|accessdate=15 April 2013}}</ref> She campaigned on the position of pro natural resource development, in-state gasline development, increased economic development, and oil tax reform.<ref name="CG PC op ed">{{cite news|last=Giessel|first=Cathy|title=Cathy Giessel, Senate District N: Got jobs, Alaska?|url=http://peninsulaclarion.com/opinion/2012-10-31/cathy-giessel-senate-district-n-got-jobs-alaska|accessdate=15 April 2013|newspaper=Peninsula Clarionl|date=October 31, 2012}}</ref> Increasing oil production through oil tax reform was a decisive issue during the 2012 election and became top priority for the new senate majority caucus that was formed subsequently.<ref name="Huggins op ed">{{cite news|last=Huggins|first=Charlie|title=Compass: Oil production tops Alaska Senate's list|url=http://www.adn.com/2013/01/30/2771137/compass-oil-production-tops-alaska.html#storylink=misearch|accessdate=15 April 2013|newspaper=Anchorage Daily News|date=January 30, 2013}}</ref>

Giessel was appointed to chair the Senate Resources committee which moved [[Sean Parnell|Governor Parnell’s]] oil tax reform legislation and advanced the [[Alaska Stand-Alone Pipeline]] project.
==== Committee Assignments ====
[[File:Alaska Senate State Affairs 2013.JPG|thumb|Senator Giessel during a State Affairs Committee Hearing in 2013]]
* Resources (chair)
* Community and Regional Affairs (vice-chair)
* State Affairs (vice-chair)
* Administrative Regulatory Review (vice-chair)
* Legislative Budget and Audit
* Legislative Ethics
* Alaska Arctic Policy Commission
*Finance Subcommittee
** Environmental Conservation
** Natural Resources
** Labor & Workforce Development

==== Caucus Membership ====
* In-state Gas Caucus
* Outdoor Heritage Caucus
* Interior Caucus

== Political Positions ==
[[File:Alaska Mining Day Bill Signing Ceremony.jpg|thumb|left|Alaska Mining Day Bill Signing Ceremony]]
In response to a questionnaire sent by the Alaska Family Action group, Giessel conveyed pro-life viewpoints, constitutional limits on benefits for same-sex couples and legislative blocks on the expansion of gambling excepting a referendum.<ref name=AFA>{{cite web|title=2010 Values Voter Guide|url=http://www.alaskafamilyaction.org/pdfs/AK-VoterGuide-StateLegislature-081210-FINAL.pdf|publisher=Alaska Family Action|accessdate=August 22, 2011}}</ref>

⚫
In the 2011 mid-term Alaska Business Report Card – a grading system run by several Alaska business coalitions judging state officials on how favorable they are to the business community – Giessel received an A+, the only senator to receive the highest grade, and only one of five state legislators in both houses.<ref name=ABRC2011>{{cite web|title=2011 midterm Alaska Business Report Card|url=http://www.alaskabusinessreportcard.com/2011/midtermgrades.html|publisher=Alaska Business Report Card|accessdate=December 14, 2011}}</ref>

== National Involvement ==
In 2013, Giessel was appointed to chair the Energy Producing States Coalition (EPSC), a bipartisan group of legislators across 10 states that focuses on energy and transmission development issues. Following a decision by the Interior Department to withhold $110 million in federal mineral revenue sharing payments because of [[sequestration]], the EPSC issued a letter to the House Energy and Commerce Committee leadership denouncing the act, which Giessel signed on to.<ref name="Streater EE">{{cite news|last=Streater|first=Scott|title=State lawmakers blast Interior for cutting federal mineral revenue payments|url=http://www.eenews.net/Greenwire/2013/04/11/archive/13?terms=streater|newspaper=Environment and Energy Publishing|date=April 11, 2013}}</ref>
== Personal life ==
== Personal life ==
Giessel is married to Richard and has three children and several grandchildren.<ref name=CGBio/> She is a member of both the [[National Rifle Association]] – which has endorsed her run for re-election -<ref name=Endorsements>{{cite web|title=CG: Endorsements|url=http://cathygiessel.com/endorsements.php|publisher=Cathy Giessel|accessdate=August 22, 2011}}</ref> and the [[Second Amendment Sisters]].<ref name=RSC/> She received the Anchorage Republican Woman of the Year award in 2007.<ref name=RSC/>
Giessel is married to Richard and has three children and several grandchildren.<ref name=CGBio/> She is a member of both the [[National Rifle Association]] – which has endorsed her run for re-election <ref name=Endorsements>{{cite web|title=CG: Endorsements|url=http://cathygiessel.com/endorsements.php|publisher=Cathy Giessel|accessdate=August 22, 2011}}</ref> and the [[Second Amendment Sisters]].<ref name=RSC/> She received the Anchorage Republican Woman of the Year award in 2007.<ref name=RSC/>


== References ==
== References ==
{{reflist}}
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
* [http://www.alaskasenate.org/giessel/ Sen. Giessel Profile - Alaska Senate Majority Site]


{{Persondata <!-- Metadata: see [[Wikipedia:Persondata]]. -->
{{Persondata <!-- Metadata: see [[Wikipedia:Persondata]]. -->

Revision as of 01:34, 16 April 2013

Catherine A. Giessel
Member of the Alaska Senate
from the N district
Assumed office
January 15, 2013
Preceded by(redistricting took effect)
Member of the Alaska Senate
from the P district
In office
January 18, 2011 – January 15, 2013
Preceded byCon Bunde
Succeeded by(redistricting took effect)
Personal details
Bornthumbnail
(1951-11-09) November 9, 1951 (age 72)
Fairbanks, Alaska
Diedthumbnail
Senator Cathy Giessel]]
Resting placethumbnail
Senator Cathy Giessel]]
Political partyRepublican
SpousesRichard
ChildrenPeter, David, and Elisabeth
Parent
  • thumbnail
  • Senator Cathy Giessel]]
Alma materUniversity of Michigan, University of Alaska Anchorage
ProfessionNurse
Websitehttp://cathygiessel.com/index.php

Catherine Andrea "Cathy" Giessel, (née Bohms; born November 9, 1951)[1][2] is a Republican politician from the U.S. state of Alaska. Giessel currently serves as a member of the Alaska Senate representing District N, which covers the South Anchorage Hillside, and the Turnagain Arm communities of Bird, Indian, Girdwood, Hope, Cooper Landing, Sterling, Nikiski, Bear Creek, and Moose Pass, as well as Seward. First elected in 2010 while self-identified with Tea Party values, she has also served as the vice-chair of the state Republican Party and held a career in nursing. Following redistricting, she was elected into a different senate seat in 2012 and serves as chair of the Resources Committee and is a member of the Senate Majority Caucus.[3]

Early Life and Career

Giessel's father, Jerry Bohms, moved to Alaska in the late 1940s and worked for Wien Alaska Airlines – a predecessor to Wien Air Alaska. Her mother Ruth holds a degree from Gonzaga University School of Law and both her and Jerry were admitted before the bars of Alaska and the United States Supreme Court.[4] Ruth Bohms was a candidate for the Alaska Legislature in 1992, running as an Alaskan Independence Party candidate for a Fairbanks-based seat in the Alaska House of Representatives. Giessel graduated from Lathrop High School in Fairbanks and thereafter gained a Bachelor of Science in nursing from the University of Michigan before moving to Anchorage in 1974.[4]

She worked as an advanced nurse practitioner[5] across a variety of clinics in Anchorage and the North Slope Borough and continues to do healthcare consulting, and gained a master's degree in nursing from the University of Alaska Anchorage in 2000.[4] She has been on the Alaska Board of Nursing, serving five years as its chairperson, and also on the Alaska Healthcare Strategy Planning Council.[5] In 2010, she was named an 'exceptional leader' by the National Council of State Boards of Nursing.[5]

Political Involvement

Before gaining her Senate seat, Giessel served on Sean Parnell's campaign team during his race against Don Young during the Republican primary for Alaska's congressional seat in 2008.[6]

Alaska Senate

2010 Senate District P Election

Giessel sought to win Senate District P in 2010 when incumbent Republican Con Bunde decided to retire, and she faced two moderates in her party primary: Anchorage assemblywoman Jennifer Johnston and cardiologist Mark Moronell. Taking advantage of the split in the moderate vote she won her party's nomination for the general election – 46% over 28% for Moronell and 25% for Johnston.[6] The Alaska Dispatch, referred to the district election ‘as [what seems to be] the most important legislative race this year.’ Giessel identified herself with Tea Party ideals but did not consider herself a Tea Party candidate.[6] In the November election, she beat Democrat Janet Reiser and independent conservative Phil Dziubinski 49% to 39% and 12% respectively.[7]

During her freshman term, Giessel served on the Senate committees on labor & commerce, state affairs, the finance subcommittee on the legislature, and was a member of the Joint In-State Gas Caucus. She aligned herself with the 'Senate Minority' caucus: a grouping of Republican senators who rejected the dominant bipartisan 'Senate Majority' caucus.[5]

Committee Assignments

  • Senate Committee on Labor and Commerce
  • Senate Committee on State Affairs
  • Senate Finance subcommittee on the Legislature

Caucus Membership

  • Joint Legislative In-State Gas Caucus
  • Joint Legislative Outdoor Heritage Caucus
  • Anchorage Caucus

2012 Senate District N Election

Senator Giessel being sworn in during the opening session of the 28th Legislature

Though elected in 2010 to serve a four-year term, redistricting led to her being up for election again in 2012 for a new senate seat serving District N.[8] In the August Republican primary, Giessel defeated challenger Joe Arness by 67%.[9] She won the November general election, defeating independent Ron Devon 58.8% to 40.7%. [10] She campaigned on the position of pro natural resource development, in-state gasline development, increased economic development, and oil tax reform.[11] Increasing oil production through oil tax reform was a decisive issue during the 2012 election and became top priority for the new senate majority caucus that was formed subsequently.[12]

Giessel was appointed to chair the Senate Resources committee which moved Governor Parnell’s oil tax reform legislation and advanced the Alaska Stand-Alone Pipeline project.

Committee Assignments

Senator Giessel during a State Affairs Committee Hearing in 2013
  • Resources (chair)
  • Community and Regional Affairs (vice-chair)
  • State Affairs (vice-chair)
  • Administrative Regulatory Review (vice-chair)
  • Legislative Budget and Audit
  • Legislative Ethics
  • Alaska Arctic Policy Commission
  • Finance Subcommittee
    • Environmental Conservation
    • Natural Resources
    • Labor & Workforce Development

Caucus Membership

  • In-state Gas Caucus
  • Outdoor Heritage Caucus
  • Interior Caucus

Political Positions

Alaska Mining Day Bill Signing Ceremony

In response to a questionnaire sent by the Alaska Family Action group, Giessel conveyed pro-life viewpoints, constitutional limits on benefits for same-sex couples and legislative blocks on the expansion of gambling excepting a referendum.[13]

In the 2011 mid-term Alaska Business Report Card – a grading system run by several Alaska business coalitions judging state officials on how favorable they are to the business community – Giessel received an A+, the only senator to receive the highest grade, and only one of five state legislators in both houses.[14]

National Involvement

In 2013, Giessel was appointed to chair the Energy Producing States Coalition (EPSC), a bipartisan group of legislators across 10 states that focuses on energy and transmission development issues. Following a decision by the Interior Department to withhold $110 million in federal mineral revenue sharing payments because of sequestration, the EPSC issued a letter to the House Energy and Commerce Committee leadership denouncing the act, which Giessel signed on to.[15]

Personal life

Giessel is married to Richard and has three children and several grandchildren.[4] She is a member of both the National Rifle Association – which has endorsed her run for re-election [16] and the Second Amendment Sisters.[5] She received the Anchorage Republican Woman of the Year award in 2007.[5]

References

  1. ^ The 1970 Cache (Lathrop High School yearbook), p. 31
  2. ^ "Defendant – Summary (3AN-04-07749MO Municipality of Anchorage vs. Giessel, Catherine A)". CourtView. Alaska Court System. Retrieved October 15, 2011.
  3. ^ "Sen. Giessel - Senate Majority Homepage". Senate Majority Press Website. Senate Majority Press. Retrieved April 14, 2013.
  4. ^ a b c d "CG: Biography". Cathy Giessel. Retrieved August 22, 2011.
  5. ^ a b c d e f "Senator Cathy Giessel". The Republican Senate Caucus. Retrieved August 22, 2011.
  6. ^ a b c Epler, Patti (September 13, 2011). "A three-way battle for the Anchorage Hillside". Alaska Dispatch. Retrieved August 22, 2011.
  7. ^ "Republicans gaining in Alaska House". The Arctic Sounder. November 3, 2011. Retrieved August 22, 2011.
  8. ^ Dischner, Molly (June 15, 2011). "New lines drawn". Peninsula Clarion. Retrieved August 22, 2011.
  9. ^ "Alaska 2012 Primary Election Official Results". Alaska Division of Elections. State of Alaska. Retrieved April 15, 2013.
  10. ^ "Alaska 2012 General Election Official Results". Alaska Division of Elections. State of Alaska. Retrieved April 15, 2013.
  11. ^ Giessel, Cathy (October 31, 2012). "Cathy Giessel, Senate District N: Got jobs, Alaska?". Peninsula Clarionl. Retrieved April 15, 2013.
  12. ^ Huggins, Charlie (January 30, 2013). "Compass: Oil production tops Alaska Senate's list". Anchorage Daily News. Retrieved April 15, 2013.
  13. ^ "2010 Values Voter Guide" (PDF). Alaska Family Action. Retrieved August 22, 2011.
  14. ^ "2011 midterm Alaska Business Report Card". Alaska Business Report Card. Retrieved December 14, 2011.
  15. ^ Streater, Scott (April 11, 2013). "State lawmakers blast Interior for cutting federal mineral revenue payments". Environment and Energy Publishing.
  16. ^ "CG: Endorsements". Cathy Giessel. Retrieved August 22, 2011.

Template:Persondata

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Cathy_Giessel&oldid=550572590"