ANCHORAGE (AP) – The state has agreed to settle for $85,000 with a former employee whose job application was rejected because she supported the recall of Gov. Mike Dunleavy.
The out-of-court settlement was announced April 26 by the Alaska chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, which represented Keren Lowell, a former employee for the Alaska State Council on the Arts.
Lowell worked for the arts council in 2019 when Dunleavy vetoed the organization’s funding, causing Lowell to lose her job. She then became involved in the effort to recall the governor.
When the Legislature restored the arts council funding and Dunleavy approved it, Lowell reapplied for her job. She was told over email that her application was rejected because of “statements made on social media about the governor.”
Lowell said the action was a violation of her right to free speech, and she took the case to the American Civil Liberties Union of Alaska.
The ACLU had threatened legal action but no lawsuit was filed before the settlement. The ACLU cited state law that prohibits the use of “political beliefs” as a reason to hire or not hire a person for most state jobs.
The governor’s office deferred comment on the matter to the state Department of Law, which did not respond to questions.
Lowell’s settlement agreement said the state did not admit any wrongdoing.
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