Cathy Giessel
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 by | Con Bunde |
| Succeeded by | (redistricting took effect) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | thumbnail November 9, 1951 Fairbanks, Alaska |
| Died | thumbnail Senator Cathy Giessel]] |
| Resting place | thumbnail Senator Cathy Giessel]] |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouses | Richard |
| Children | Peter, David, and Elisabeth |
| Parent |
|
| Alma mater | University of Michigan, University of Alaska Anchorage |
| Profession | Nurse |
| Website | http://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
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
- 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
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
- ^ The 1970 Cache (Lathrop High School yearbook), p. 31
- ^ "Defendant – Summary (3AN-04-07749MO Municipality of Anchorage vs. Giessel, Catherine A)". CourtView. Alaska Court System. Retrieved October 15, 2011.
- ^ "Sen. Giessel - Senate Majority Homepage". Senate Majority Press Website. Senate Majority Press. Retrieved April 14, 2013.
- ^ a b c d "CG: Biography". Cathy Giessel. Retrieved August 22, 2011.
- ^ a b c d e f "Senator Cathy Giessel". The Republican Senate Caucus. Retrieved August 22, 2011.
- ^ a b c Epler, Patti (September 13, 2011). "A three-way battle for the Anchorage Hillside". Alaska Dispatch. Retrieved August 22, 2011.
- ^ "Republicans gaining in Alaska House". The Arctic Sounder. November 3, 2011. Retrieved August 22, 2011.
- ^ Dischner, Molly (June 15, 2011). "New lines drawn". Peninsula Clarion. Retrieved August 22, 2011.
- ^ "Alaska 2012 Primary Election Official Results". Alaska Division of Elections. State of Alaska. Retrieved April 15, 2013.
- ^ "Alaska 2012 General Election Official Results". Alaska Division of Elections. State of Alaska. Retrieved April 15, 2013.
- ^ Giessel, Cathy (October 31, 2012). "Cathy Giessel, Senate District N: Got jobs, Alaska?". Peninsula Clarionl. Retrieved April 15, 2013.
- ^ Huggins, Charlie (January 30, 2013). "Compass: Oil production tops Alaska Senate's list". Anchorage Daily News. Retrieved April 15, 2013.
- ^ "2010 Values Voter Guide" (PDF). Alaska Family Action. Retrieved August 22, 2011.
- ^ "2011 midterm Alaska Business Report Card". Alaska Business Report Card. Retrieved December 14, 2011.
- ^ Streater, Scott (April 11, 2013). "State lawmakers blast Interior for cutting federal mineral revenue payments". Environment and Energy Publishing.
- ^ "CG: Endorsements". Cathy Giessel. Retrieved August 22, 2011.