posted on: Tuesday, January 31, 2006

Just ask the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, which earlier this month reported on LOVE Social Services Center, which provides services to disadvantaged youth in Fairbanks, AK. Federal agents from the US Departments of Justice and Housing and Urban Development, along with agents from the FBI and IRS, searched LOVE’s headquarters, a church related to the organization, and the home of its executive director earlier this month. The organization is accused of misusing federal funds, including the possibility that LOVE used public grant dollars—intended to provide social services—to help buy and renovate a new facility for the church.

The executive director is Chris Hayes, whose husband Jim is the former mayor of Fairbanks and is the pastor at the church affiliated with the group. LOVE has received nearly $3 million in federal grants—thanks to Senator Stevens, the senior Republican Senator from Alaska who previously chaired the all-powerful Senate Appropriations Committee—since it was established in 2000. There are several personal connections between the Hayes Family and Stevens, including the fact that James Hayes—the son of Chris and Jim—worked as an aide to Stevens and lived at his Washington, DC house for a time.

Stevens has denied that his personal connections to the family had anything to do with helping secure grants for LOVE. It actually had to do with the good Senator’s concern for minorities—and it’s really best to just let his words do the talking; no interpretation on our end is necessary:

"That is not a personal thing, [LOVE is] part of the black community and I've worked for the black community in Fairbanks for a long time. I've always had a couple members of the black community of Alaska on my staff because I think, you know, they're a significant part of our state."

Well said, Senator, well said.