Another Day, Another Controversy for Palin

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Wed Sep 03, 2008 at 20:25:00 PM CDT

ABC News reports that Palin also faces questions for firing the longtime Wasilla Police Chief.

After taking over as Mayor of the small town of Wasilla,

Palin fired the longtime local police chief. The former police chief, Irl Stambaugh says he was fired because he stepped on the toes of Palin's campaign contributors, including bar owners and the National Rifle Association.

Stambaugh's lawyer, William Jermain, says the chief tried to move up the closing hours of local bars from 5 a.m. to two a.m. after a spurt of drunk driving accidents and arrests.

"His crackdown on that practice by the bars was not appreciated by her and that was one reason she terminated Irl," said Jermain.

In his 1997 lawsuit, Stambaugh also alleged that his stand on restricting concealed weapons upset the NRA.

Mayor Palin has stated on several occasions that the National Rifle Association encouraged her to fire Chief Stambaugh because of his stance against the concealed weapons legislation," the lawsuit claimed.

A federal judge ruled that Palin had the right to remove this chief from office. While, I think that her firing the Chief is really a non-scandal, the rationale is a bit damming.