11 days after appointment, Alaska Attorney General Ed Sniffen leaving job

Governor Dunleavy peeks through a door with a man in a suit in the foreground
Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy follows Treg Taylor into a news conference at the governor’s Anchorage office on Friday, Sept. 27, 2019. (Photo by Nat Herz/Alaska Public Media)

Alaska Attorney General Ed Sniffen is leaving his position 11 days after Gov. Mike Dunleavy appointed him.

Dunleavy’s office announced the departure on Friday and said Treg Taylor would replace Sniffen as the attorney general.

The governor accepted Sniffen’s resignation “for personal reasons,” according to a spokesperson for the governor. The announcement of the change said Sniffen is leaving state government.

Taylor joined the Department of Law as deputy attorney general for the Civil Division after Dunleavy became governor.

He previously served as a lawyer for Arctic Slope Regional Corporation, and for McKinley Capital Management, an Anchorage-based investment firm. He lives in Anchorage.

Dunleavy said Taylor brings a wealth of legal experience. Taylor said in the announcement that he was honored by the appointment and hopes the department will continue to provide outstanding legal service.

Dunleavy thanked Sniffen and said he wished him well in his future endeavors.

Sniffen had become acting attorney general in August, when former Attorney General Kevin Clarkson resigned.

Sniffen began working for the Department of Law in 2000 and served as senior attorney general in the consumer protection unit, as well as deputy attorney general and other senior positions.

When Dunleavy announced Sniffen as attorney general on Jan. 18, the governor said he had a long and proven record of leadership.

Andrew Kitchenman is the state government and politics reporter for Alaska Public Media and KTOO in Juneau. Reach him at akitchenman@alaskapublic.org.

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