Cathy Giessel

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Catherine A. Giessel
Cathy Giessel - Alaska State Senate Photo.jpg
Member of the Alaska Senate
from the N district
Assumed office
January 15, 2013
Preceded by redistricted
Member of the Alaska Senate
from the P district
In office
January 18, 2011 – January 15, 2013
Preceded by Con Bunde
Succeeded by redistricted
Personal details
Born Catherine Andrea Bohms
(1951-11-09) November 9, 1951 (age 73)
Fairbanks, Alaska
Political party Republican
Spouse(s) Richard
Children Peter
David
Elisabeth
Alma mater University of Michigan, University of Alaska Anchorage
Profession Nurse
Website http://cathygiessel.com/index.php

Catherine Andrea "Cathy" Giessel, (née Bohms; born November 9, 1951)[1][2] is a Republican politician from the U.S. state of Alaska, serving since 2011. Giessel is currently a member of the Alaska Senate representing District N. The district comprises Northeast Anchorage, Anchorage Hillside and the Turnagain Arm communities of Bird, Girdwood, Indian, and Anchorage, all within the Municipality of Anchorage. First elected in 2010 while self-identified with Tea Party values, she has also served as the vice-chair of the state Republican Party and held a career in nursing. Following redistricting, she was elected into a different senate seat in 2012 and serves as chair of the Resources Committee and is a member of the Senate Majority Caucus.[3]

Early life and career

Cathy Giessel was born Catherine Andrea Bohms in Fairbanks, Alaska on November 9, 1951, the oldest of three daughters (and four children overall) born to Gerald Johnson "Jerry" (1924–2002) and Ruth Odelia (née Bauer, born 1927) Bohms.[4] Jerry Bohms arrived in Alaska in the late 1940s and worked for Wien Alaska Airlines (a predecessor to Wien Air Alaska). Ruth Bohms holds a degree from Gonzaga University School of Law and was admitted before the bars of Alaska and the United States Supreme Court.[5] Ruth Bohms was a candidate for the Alaska Legislature in 1992, running as an Alaskan Independence Party candidate for a Fairbanks-based seat in the Alaska House of Representatives.[4] Giessel graduated from Lathrop High School in Fairbanks[1] and thereafter gained a Bachelor of Science in nursing from the University of Michigan before moving to Anchorage in 1974.[5]

She worked as an advanced nurse practitioner[6] across a variety of clinics in Anchorage and the North Slope Borough and continues to do healthcare consulting, and gained a master's degree in nursing from the University of Alaska Anchorage in 2000.[5] She has been on the Alaska Board of Nursing, serving five years as its chairperson, and also on the Alaska Healthcare Strategy Planning Council.[6] In 2010, she was named an 'exceptional leader' by the National Council of State Boards of Nursing.[6]

Political involvement

Before gaining her Senate seat, Giessel served on Sean Parnell's campaign team during his race against Don Young during the Republican primary for Alaska's congressional seat in 2008.[7]

Alaska Senate

2014: Senate District N election

Though elected in 2012 following redistricting, a challenge to the newly drawn districts caused Giessel to be up for reelection again in 2014. Giessel won the November general election, defeating Democratic challengerHarry Crawford Jr., 54.7% to 44.97%.[8] This time Giessel was elected to a 2-year seat that would be up again for reelection in 2016. Giessel campaigned on the position of pro natural resource development, in-state gasline development, diversified economic development and supported more school choice options for parents of K-12 students. Due to the sharp fall of oil prices and Alaska’s ensuing fiscal gap in 2015, the budget and curbing state spending became top priorities for the new senate majority caucus. Education funding was another top priority for the caucus as well.[9]

Committee assignments

  • Resources (chair)
  • Special Committee on Arctic Policy (co-chair)
  • Health and Social Services (vice-chair)
  • Labor and Commerce (vice-chair)
  • Education
  • Legislative Budget and Audit
  • Finance Subcommittee
    • Environmental Conservation
    • Health & Social Services
    • Natural Resources

Caucus memberships

  • In-state Gas Caucus
  • Outdoor Heritage Caucus

2012: Senate District N election

Giessel (left) being sworn in at the opening of the 28th Alaska State Legislature. Alaska legislators are typically sworn in on opening day in groups of five; to Giessel's left are Anna Fairclough, Kevin Meyer, Peter Micciche and Lesil McGuire.

Though elected in 2010 to serve a four-year term, redistricting led to her being up for election again in 2012 for a new senate seat serving District N.[10] In the August Republican primary, Giessel defeated challenger Joe Arness by 67%.[11] She won the November general election, defeating Independent Ron Devon, the husband of Mudflats author Jeanne Devon, 58.8% to 40.7%.[12] She campaigned on the position of pro natural resource development, in-state gasline development, increased economic development, and oil tax reform.[13] Increasing oil production through oil tax reform was a decisive issue during the 2012 election and became top priority for the new senate majority caucus that was formed subsequently.[14]

Giessel was appointed to chair the Senate Resources committee which moved Governor Parnell’s oil tax reform legislation and advanced the Alaska Stand-Alone Pipeline project.

Committee assignments

Giessel (right, with Fred Dyson and John Coghill to her right) during a State Affairs committee hearing in February 2013
  • Resources (chair)
  • Community and Regional Affairs (vice-chair)
  • State Affairs (vice-chair)
  • Administrative Regulatory Review (vice-chair)
  • Legislative Budget and Audit
  • Legislative Ethics
  • Alaska Arctic Policy Commission
  • Finance Subcommittee
    • Environmental Conservation
    • Natural Resources
    • Labor & Workforce Development

Caucus memberships

  • In-state Gas Caucus
  • Outdoor Heritage Caucus

2010: Senate District P election

Giessel ran for the Senate District P seat in 2010 when Republican incumbent Con Bunde retired after 18 years in the legislature, the last eight in the Senate. She faced two moderates in her party primary: Anchorage assemblywoman Jennifer Johnston and cardiologist Mark Moronell. Taking advantage of the split in the moderate vote she won her party's nomination for the general election – 46% over 28% for Moronell and 25% for Johnston.[7] The Alaska Dispatch, referred to the district election "as [what seems to be] the most important legislative race this year." Giessel identified herself with Tea Party ideals but did not consider herself a Tea Party candidate.[7] In the November election, she beat Democrat Janet Reiser and independent conservative Phil Dziubinski 49% to 39% and 12% respectively.[15] Dziubinski, who had recently retired from a career working for BP, spent over $150,000 of his own money on his campaign.

During her freshman term, Giessel served on the Senate committees on labor & commerce, state affairs, the finance subcommittee on the legislature, and was a member of the Joint In-State Gas Caucus. She aligned herself with the 'Senate Minority' caucus: a grouping of Republican senators who rejected the dominant bipartisan 'Senate Majority' caucus.[6]

Committee assignments

  • Senate Committee on Labor and Commerce
  • Senate Committee on State Affairs
  • Senate Finance subcommittee on the Legislature

Caucus memberships

  • Joint Legislative In-State Gas Caucus
  • Joint Legislative Outdoor Heritage Caucus
  • Anchorage Caucus

Political positions

Alaska Mining Day bill signing ceremony: Giessel with Governor Sean Parnell, Senate President Charlie Huggins, Micciche, Donald Olson and mining industry representatives.

In response to a questionnaire sent by the Alaska Family Action group, Giessel conveyed pro-life viewpoints, constitutional limits on benefits for same-sex couples and legislative blocks on the expansion of gambling excepting a referendum.[16]

In the 2011 mid-term Alaska Business Report Card (a grading system run by several Alaska business coalitions judging state officials on how favorable they are to the business community) Giessel received an A+, the only senator to receive the highest grade, and only one of five state legislators in both houses.[17]

National involvement

In 2013, Giessel was appointed to chair the Energy Producing States Coalition (EPSC), a bipartisan group of legislators across 10 states that focuses on energy and transmission development issues. Following a decision by the Interior Department to withhold $110 million in federal mineral revenue sharing payments because of sequestration, the EPSC issued a letter to the House Energy and Commerce Committee leadership denouncing the act, which Giessel signed on to.[18]

Personal life

Giessel is married to Richard and has three children and several grandchildren.[5] She is a member of both the National Rifle Association – which has endorsed her run for re-election [19] and the Second Amendment Sisters.[6] She received the Anchorage Republican Woman of the Year award in 2007.[6]

References

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External links

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 The 1970 Cache (Lathrop High School yearbook), p. 31
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