Governor Sean Parnell has named former Juneau resident Dianne Blumer Alaska’s new Labor Commissioner.
She replaces Click Bishop, who resigned in March and recently signaled his intention to run for state Senate representing Fairbanks.
Blumer had been a special assistant to the governor, advising him on matters affecting the departments of commerce, administration and revenue. According to the governor’s office, she has more than 20 years in state service, serving in positions such as director of the Division of Personnel and Labor Relations and deputy director of the Child Support Services Division.
In a statement, Parnell called her “profoundly competent.”
Blumer was born in Ketchikan and was a lifelong resident of Southeast Alaska before moving to Anchorage in 2007. Parnell’s office says she is a former member of the Juneau Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors and ran two small businesses in the Capital City, as well as a hotel in Sitka.
Bishop earlier this month filed a letter of intent with the Alaska Public Offices Commission to run for state Senate, though he’s yet to file with the Division of Elections.
His letter did not specify which district he’d be running in. Fairbanks districts have been in flux under the various plans of the Alaska Redistricting Board. The state Supreme Court is expected to decide soon if the board’s latest plan can be used for this year’s elections.
