Newly re-elected Gov. Sean Parnell, you might have heard, is replacing a number of his cabinet members, including his fish and game commissioner.
The governor can't simply hire a new commissioner directly.
Rather, the laws says he "shall appoint the commissioner of fish and game from a list of qualified persons nominated by the Board of Fisheries and the Board of Game meeting in joint session, subject to the right of the governor to request additional nominations."
The commissioner's job is being advertised in large Alaska newspapers, and the deadline to apply is Dec. 8. This website has more details.
I checked late last week with Jim Marcotte in the Boards Support office on whether anybody had applied.
Nope, not yet, he told me.
The joint board meeting will happen in December or early January, Marcotte said.
The speculation probably will get pretty thick in the coming days.
Never one to miss out on the fun, Deckboss can report he's heard three potential candidates: John Garner, an executive with Trident Seafoods Corp.; McKie Campbell, a former fish and game commissioner and now congressional energy staffer under Sen. Lisa Murkowski; and Cora Campbell, fisheries policy adviser to Parnell.
My apologies to all three for dropping their names!