Permanent Fund board chair defends firing of executive director

Under questioning from a bipartisan legislative committee on Monday, the chairman of the Alaska Permanent Fund defended the board’s decision to fire former executive director Angela Rodell but declined to answer substantive questions about the reasons for the action.

Chairman Craig Richards said the board had years of “trust problems” with Rodell. Citing the confidentiality of board discussions and the possibility of a lawsuit by the ousted director, he refused to answer questions about the source of those problems, and he declined to say whether he or other board members have been in communic...