No Mercy For Alaska Governor Who Pardoned Company Convicted Of Killing Worker

The Anchorage Daily News was as upset as we were by (former) Governor Frank Murkowski's pardon of a company convicted of negligent homicide in the 1999 death of a backhoe operator on a Cordova hydroelectric power project job site (which I wrote about here). The company had also stiffed the state on a quarter-million-dollar fine and interest resulting from the death of Gary Stone who was killed in an avalanche. State job safety officials had warned the company about avalanche dangers at the job site.

In response to the pardon, granted just before Murkowski left office, the state legislature is considering a bill that would

require governors to submit pardon applications to the state Parole Board for review. The existing law makes that optional for governors. The former governor did not bother to ask the Parole Board for its opinion on the pardon that he issued just a few days before leaving office. Nor did Gov. Murkowski or his staff bother to ask whether Whitewater Engineering Corp. of Bellingham, Wash. had ever paid its fine to the state in the case. It hadn't paid a dime.

According to the NewsT

the legislation would not interfere with a governor's constitutional prerogative to issue a pardon, but would shine a much brighter light on the process.

It's good that Rep. Samuels and his colleagues see the need for this legislation, which already has picked up bipartisan support. But it's sad that there is a need for this legislation.

BOTTOM LINE: It's too late to fix what's been done, but Alaska can do better next time.

Company Pardoned: Mother Nature Guilty of Homicide

It was just "a tragic accident caused by a snow avalanche in Alaska's harsh climate" said Alaska Governor Frank Murkowski just days before leaving office, as he pardoned a company convicted of criminally negligent homicide in the death of one of its workers, killed in an avalanche in 1999.

Gary Stone, a 46-year-old father of five, was killed in an avalanche while on a Whitewater Engineering Corp. job site. According to Murkowsiki,

In a Nov. 30 letter addressed to Thom Fischer, Whitewater's president and owner, Murkowski said: "I recognize that criminal convictions against a company has serious implications for small businesses operating in Alaska." He said the criminal charges "seem to be excessive punishment."

Yeah, wouldn't ever want to hurt any small businesses. I mean, shit happens, right? Can't do anything about Mother Nature, right?

Not necessarily.

Stone was working on a $15 million hydroelectric project in a valley outside Cordova. He was on a backhoe when snow slid off a 2,000-foot slope and buried him.

Workers had previously complained about the danger, and an avalanche expert hired by the company had warned Fischer there was a high probability of a serious snow slide at the site, according to a report from the state's occupational safety agency.

Basic, required safety procedures were not followed on the site and the company exhibited gross negligence, according to information submitted by the state at the company's sentencing. A state report said Fischer didn't want to spend the money on a comprehensive avalanche control program.

A state judge found the company guilty of negligence in Stone's death, fined Whitewater $150,000 and ordered the company to pay approximately $17,000 to the victim's family. Settlement of a Stone family lawsuit left his children with about $7,000 each, family members said.

The state filed a separate lawsuit alleging multiple violations, which was resolved with an additional fine against the company.

And it's not like anyone was even going to jail. The company's owner, Thom Fischer, was initially charged personally with manslaughter in Stone's death, but that charge was dropped and the company itself was convicted. Pardoning the company means it may be eligible for company insurance breaks and opportunities for future federal or state jobs.

The victim's family said that the state never notified them of the pardon, which the company had requested. "This is a huge slap on the face," said Stone's daughter, Jessica Ridinger, 30, who burst into tears when told about the pardon by an Anchorage Daily News reporter.

Hard to blame her.