A Fairbanks Republican lawmaker wants to put the governor’s mansion on Airbnb.
“Airbnb! Airbnb!” Rep. Will Stapp chanted, both fists raised, on a catwalk outside the House chamber last week.
Stapp filed a bill March 17 that would require the governor’s office to offer the Juneau residence up for rent on a short-term basis while the Legislature is not in session and the governor has not reserved it in advance.
"I always try to look for ways to make government more efficient, and when you see that you have facilities that are underutilized, you should try to maximize them so they at least cover their own operating expense," Stapp said in an interview. He said he'd also be open to renting out some of the Legislature's facilities, including an apartment building lawmakers acquired in 2021 and later renovated to house legislators and staff.
Dunleavy spent a total 13 nights in Juneau during the first two months of the year, according to his public calendars. In recent weeks, the governor has spent time in Asia drumming up support for a North Slope natural gas pipeline.
Even so, Stapp told the Juneau Empire he did not intend the bill as a swipe at the governor. The governor’s office did not respond to emails seeking comment.
The state pays a full-time staff of four to run the more than 14,000 square foot mansion, including a manager, a private chef and two housekeepers. The three-story home with 26 rooms, 10 bathrooms and eight fireplaces was built in 1912 with a stipend of $40,000 from the federal government, according to the Anchorage Daily News.
Salaries and upkeep on the mansion currently cost about $800,000 a year, according to budget documents.
Stapp said he’d like to defray that cost. He said it’s a great place for any number of events — parties, weddings, even overnight stays for Instagram influencers.
"I don't think a normal person would pay an exorbitant amount of money to stay at a normal hotel room," he said. "But they would, actually, if, you know, they could rent the governor's mansion."
Most bills introduced in the Legislature have little chance of passing, and this one is no different. Senate President Gary Stevens, R-Kodiak, isn’t taking the new bill seriously.
"That’s pretty silly," he said last week. "I’m sorry to hear that. I mean, we have serious things to accomplish here."
At the same time, Stevens said, "silly things happen." Stevens compared it to a resolution he introduced in 2005 that aimed to change Fairbanks' name to Barnette’s Cache.
"It never passed. It never even got a hearing," he said, "Sometimes you do things just for, you know, humor."
