Pre-gubernatorial political experience
Palin served two terms on the Wasilla
City Council from 1992 to 1996. In 1996, she challenged the incumbent mayor, criticizing wasteful spending and high taxes.
[4] The ex-mayor and sheriff tried to organize a recall campaign, but failed.
[4] Palin kept her campaign promises, reducing her own salary, as well as reducing property taxes 60%.
[4] She ran for reelection against the former mayor in 1999, winning by an even larger margin.
[4][13] Palin was also elected president of the Alaska Conference of Mayors.
[10]
In 2002, Palin made an unsuccessful bid for
Lieutenant Governor, coming in second to
Loren Leman in a four-way race. After
Frank Murkowski resigned from his long-held
U.S. Senate seat in mid-term to become governor, Palin interviewed to be his possible successor. Instead, Murkowski appointed his daughter, then-Alaska State Representative
Lisa Murkowski.
[4]
Governor Murkowski appointed Palin Ethics Commissioner of the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission
[14], where she served from 2003 to 2004 until resigning in protest over what she called the "lack of ethics" of fellow Alaskan
Republican leaders, who ignored her whistleblowing complaints of legal violations and conflicts of interest.
[4] After she resigned, she exposed the state Republican party's chairman, Randy Ruedrich, one of her fellow Oil & Gas commissioners, who was accused of doing work for the party on public time, and supplying a lobbyist with a sensitive e-mail.
[15] Palin filed formal complaints against both Ruedrich and former Alaska
Attorney General Gregg Renkes, who both resigned; Ruedrich paid a record $12,000 fine.
[4]
