Lesil McGuire
Lesil McGuire | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Alaska Senate from the N district | |
| Assumed office January 16, 2007 | |
| Preceded by | Ben Stevens |
| Member of the Alaska House of Representatives from the 28th district | |
| In office January 20, 2003 – January 16, 2007 | |
| Preceded by | Beverly Masek |
| Succeeded by | Craig Johnson |
| Member of the Alaska House of Representatives from the 17th district | |
| In office January 8, 2001 – January 20, 2003 | |
| Preceded by | John Cowdery |
| Succeeded by | Pete Kott |
| Personal details | |
| Born | January 22, 1971 Portland, Oregon |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | Jason Skala |
| Residence | Anchorage, Alaska |
| Alma mater | Willamette University |
| Profession | politician |
Lesil McGuire is an American politician in the state of Alaska. As of 2009, she is a Republican member of the Alaska Senate, representing the N District, taking office in 2007 immediately after her tenure as a member of the Alaska House of Representatives from 2000 through 2006.
Early years
McGuire was born in Portland, Oregon, on January 22, 1971, before her family moved to Alaska in 1973.[1] She attended Willamette University in Salem, Oregon beginning in 1989,[1] where she majored in both political science and speech.[2] She also served two years as an intern and press aide for Senator Ted Stevens of Alaska before graduating in 1993 with a Bachelors of Arts degree.[2] After college she attended law school at Willamette University College of Law, graduating with a juris doctorate in 1998.[2] In law school she worked for Willamette Law Review, the school's legal journal.[2] After graduation, she returned to Alaska and clerked briefly for Birch Horton Bittner & Cherot before taking a position as an aide to the Alaska State House Judiciary Committee.
Political career
In 2000, at the age of 29, she won election to the Alaska House of Representatives to replace John Cowdery, who was elected to the Alaska State Senate.[2] She served in the House as a moderate Republican until 2006 when she was elected to the Alaska State Senate, continuing to serve as a moderate Republican. She is currently the youngest member of the currently-serving Alaska State Senate. She is also the newest president of PNWER, in addition to her duties with the state. She is also active with CSG, otherwise known as the Council of State Governments, having served as the past chair of the Western Region.
McGuire is currently married to convicted former Alaska Representative Tom Anderson. On December 7, 2006, Anderson was arrested on a federal warrant at his home by agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and was held overnight in the Anchorage jail.[3] Anderson had been indicted the previous day on seven counts, including two counts of extortion, one count of bribery, one count of conspiracy, and three counts of money laundering involving the use of a sham corporation to hide the origin of the bribery payments.[4][5]
On July 9, 2007, a jury found Anderson guilty on all seven charges of extortion, bribery, conspiracy, and money laundering. He was sentenced to a term of 60 months in prison and was required to surrender to the Federal Prison Camp in Sheridan, Oregon on December 3, 2007.
Stemming from a 4 September 2008 incident, she allegedly was part of a ruckus on an Alaska Airlines airplane, causing the pilot to stop the plane on the runway. Witnesses reported McGuire was rude, and caused delay by not remaining in her seat. She allegedly threw water and continued using her Blackberry when instructed not to. Police questioned McGuire at the Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport but did not determine there were enough grounds to charge the legislator with a crime.[6]
References
- ^ a b Senator McGuire. The Alaska State Legislature. Retrieved on March 10, 2009.
- ^ a b c d e Hasselbring, Bobbie. Alumni Profiles: Law in Public Service: A Shiny New Star. Willamette Lawyer, Fall 2004. pp. 20–21.
- ^ Associated Press. (2006-12-08). Legislator arrested in FBI probe: Anderson seized at Anchorage home on bribery warrant." Juneau Empire. Retrieved on 2007-05-11.
- ^ United States Attorney's Office, District of Alaska. (2007-12-08). "Alaska State Representative Thomas T. Anderson indicted on charges of extortion, conspiracy, bribery and money laundering." Press release. Retrieved on 2007-05-23. Also available through Anchorage Daily News website.
- ^ United States v. Anderson. Indictment. Case 3:06-cr-00099-JWS-JDR. Filed December 7, 2006 in the United States District Court for the District of Alaska, Anchorage, Alaska. Retrieved on 2007-05-23.
- ^ [1] Associated Press
External links
- Alaska State Legislature – Senator Lesil McGuire
- Project Vote Smart – Senator Lesil McGuire (AK) profile
- Follow the Money – Lesil McGuire: 2006 campaign contributions
- Bipartisan Working Group Website
- Alaska Brain Injury Network
- Special Olympics Alaska
- Senator Lesil McGuire's Twitter Feed
- Lesil McGuire for State Senate Facebook Page
- Lesil McGuire at 100 Years of Alaska's Legislature