Stevens’ “Ferry to Nowhere” to Boost Land Value for Former AidesWe’ve noted Sen. Ted Stevens’ (R-AK) knack for helping out friends and family before. His son Ben for instance, relied on dear ol’ dad to channel millions to fishing companies that in turn channeled hundreds of thousands on to him. His former aide Trevor McCabe partnered up with his son Ben and benefited from his relationship with Uncle Ted in other ways that have caught investigators’ attention.
Though Alaska’s a huge state, the billions Stevens brought home make the state seem quite small. Somehow projects tend to benefit people close to him. Roll Call takes a look (sub. req.) at just one of those, Stevens’ recent earmark for $20 million for a ferry project in the state. Stevens has inserted “nearly $50 million for the project into appropriation bills from 2002 to 2006,” Roll Call reports. The ferry would connect Knik Arm to Anchorage, cutting down travel time from two hours to 15 minutes. And look who had the foresight to invest:
Several current and former members of Stevensâ staff â including Chief of Staff George Lowe and former top aide Lisa Sutherland â as well as Rep. Don Youngâs (R-Alaska) son-in-law Art Nelson own undeveloped land on the Knik Arm….
Along with her husband, Scott, a lobbyist for Ducks Unlimited, Sutherland owns slightly less than four acres on Knik Arm. The value of the land went from $38,400 in 2005 to $65,000 in 2006, according to the borough assessments.
A second former Stevens aide, Trevor McCabe, also owns land on Knik Arm along with Youngâs son-in-law, Nelson, and Yardarm Knot Fisheries LLC executive Alan Chaffee through the company Point Bluff LLC, according to public records. Nelson owns a 10 percent stake in the company, according to the Anchorage Daily News….
McCabe and his wife also own a separate 3.7-acre parcel on Knik Arm. The value of that property went from $37,800 in 2005 to $62,400 in 2006, according to the property assessment.
Sounds to me like something the old Tammany Hall pol George Washington Plunkitt would recognize as “honest graft.” They seen their opportunities and they took ’em.
