Beverly L. "Bev" Masek (née Jerue) (born September 30, 1963) is an
Alaska Native
Alaska Natives (also known as Alaskan Natives, Native Alaskans, Indigenous Alaskans, Aboriginal Alaskans or First Alaskans) are the indigenous peoples of Alaska and include Iñupiat, Yupik, Aleut, Eyak, Tlingit, Haida, Tsimshian, and a numbe ...
and an
American
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, pe ...
former dog sled racer, and businesswoman. She was a Republican politician who served in the state legislature for several terms.
Early life, education and career
Beverly Jerue was born in
Anvik, Alaska
Anvik ( Deg Xinag: ) is a city, home to the Deg Hit'an people, in the Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area, Alaska, United States. The name Anvik, meaning "exit" in the Central Alaskan Yup'ik language, became the common usage despite multiple names at the ...
in 1963 to an
Alaska Native
Alaska Natives (also known as Alaskan Natives, Native Alaskans, Indigenous Alaskans, Aboriginal Alaskans or First Alaskans) are the indigenous peoples of Alaska and include Iñupiat, Yupik, Aleut, Eyak, Tlingit, Haida, Tsimshian, and a numbe ...
family. She attended local schools, graduating from Anvik High School.
"Bev" married Jan Masek, an immigrant from Czechoslovakia. Together the couple have owned a racing dog kennel and a lodge. Jerue worked as a bookkeeper.
Jerue had learned about sled dogs from childhood. She was active in dog sled racing from the early 1980s to the early 1990s, competing five times in the
Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. She finished the race four times, including as 21st in 1991 and 23rd the next year.
Political career
Jerue became active in the
Republican Party
Republican Party is a name used by many political parties around the world, though the term most commonly refers to the United States' Republican Party.
Republican Party may also refer to:
Africa
*Republican Party (Liberia)
* Republican Part ...
, and was elected to the
Alaska House of Representatives for several terms, starting in 1994. She served 1995–2005. Masek won an open seat in an election year in which, in the other legislative contests in the
Matanuska-Susitna Valley, Democratic incumbents lost to their Republican challengers.
Masek missed 29 floor sessions in 2001—the highest absentee rate in the House. The next year she was absent from 16 sessions. She was in the hallway when a key budget vote was cast on the House floor in 2002. Masek was chairwoman of the House Resources Committee. She was notable as an Alaska Native lawmaker who was opposed to a state constitutional amendment to grant priority to rural subsistence
Rep.
Pete Kott
Peter Kott (born 1949) is a former Republican state representative for District 17 serving Eagle River, Alaska, in the Alaska Legislature for seven terms, from 1993 until 2007. He was Speaker of the House during his sixth term in 2003–2004.
On ...
, R-Eagle River, who was vying to be the next House speaker, gave Masek $500 for her 2002 campaign. She also received $1,500 from executives with VECO Corp., which was involved in trying to build a for-profit private prison in Alaska, and Anchorage architecture firm Koonce Pfeffer and Bettis, which was tabbed to design the prospective prison. Rep.
Vic Kohring, R-Wasilla, moved to his parents' home in 2002 in order to establish residence there and avoid a primary fight with Masek after portions of their districts were combined.
Indictment and conviction
In 2009, Masek pleaded guilty in the
Alaska political corruption probe which was a wide-ranging investigation into bribery in the state legislature stemming from the
VECO Corporation, an oil servicing company. She was sentenced to six months in prison with three years probation. VECO CEO
Bill Allen and Vice President Rick Smith, legislators
Pete Kott
Peter Kott (born 1949) is a former Republican state representative for District 17 serving Eagle River, Alaska, in the Alaska Legislature for seven terms, from 1993 until 2007. He was Speaker of the House during his sixth term in 2003–2004.
On ...
(R), as well as
John Cowdery
John Joe Cowdery (February 11, 1930 – July 13, 2013) was a Republican member of the Alaska Senate, representing the O District from 2001 through 2008. He was previously a member of the Alaska House of Representatives from 1982 through 1984, an ...
(R),
Vic Kohring (R),
Tom Anderson (politician)
Thomas T. "Tom" Anderson (born August 4, 1967)Alaska Legislature. (2005-09-20)"Representative Tom Anderson" (biography).Through Internet Archive. Retrieved on 2007-05-09. is a partner at Optima Public Relations in Anchorage, Alaska and also a rad ...
were all sentenced to federal prison in the scandal. James Clark (R) Chief of Staff to Republican Governor Frank Murkowski, and US Senator
Theodore F. Stevens (R-AK) were also convicted, but the charges were thrown out on appeal.
References
External links
Beverly Masek ''100 Years of Alaska's Legislature''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Masek, Beverly
1963 births
Alaska politicians convicted of crimes
Alaskan Athabaskan people
Businesspeople from Anchorage, Alaska
Dog mushers from Alaska
Living people
Republican Party members of the Alaska House of Representatives
Native American state legislators in Alaska
Native American women in politics
Politicians from Anchorage, Alaska
People from Matanuska-Susitna Borough, Alaska
People from Yukon–Koyukuk Census Area, Alaska
Politicians convicted under the Travel Act
Women state legislators in Alaska
21st-century American women
21st-century Native American women
21st-century Native Americans