Chip Thoma: This is Not About Palin, But Her "Notoriety" is the Reason Behind These "Voyeur Tours"

The ADN reports:

Gov. Sarah Palin is clashing with a Juneau activist over what he calls "voyeur" bus tours past the governor's mansion that he asserts ruin the neighborhood to exploit her fame.

Chip Thoma, head of Responsible Cruising in Alaska, has put up signs saying "Stop Local Tours" in the area near the mansion, with active support from at least a handful of residents.

"As Governor Palin spends very little time in Juneau, especially during the summer, these are 'voyeur' tours premised solely on her notoriety," Thoma said in an April 30 letter to Juneau tour operators.

Thoma said in a Friday interview, though, that the tours really aren't any worse than before Palin took office. He said it's not about her, but about impacts on the neighborhoods near Juneau.

The governor said she welcomes tourists and "can't imagine other areas of Alaska looking at having the Governor's house nearby as a degrading irritation that invites voyeurism."

The governor said she offered to meet with Thoma "to ask if I could lessen his burden by keeping a lower profile," but he declined and suggested she work it out with the Juneau mayor instead.

"I wanted to offer him to hide Piper's trampoline further in a corner of the yard ... if it's a matter of not giving anyone anything to look at so they'll go away then I'd ask Piper to not giggle so loudly on her buoy swing or bicycle in the yard," Palin said in a written statement, referring to her 7-year-old daughter.

Palin said she's spent most of her time in Juneau in recent months and finds the complaint ironic, given criticism in the capital city that she runs state government mostly from the Anchorage area.

"We've been slammed if we're not here enough, but now the table's turned and the message is we're creating chaos because we're here too often," Palin said in a written statement.

[...]

Thoma, a longtime activist on tourism issues, said he suggested Palin work with the mayor instead of him because local ordinances are at issue.

"I'm trying to do what I can here to help the neighborhood. I don't want to make this personal between the governor and I," he said. "She is obviously coming after me, and I've never met her before."

Thoma said there were four people who lived in the area of the bus tours who talked to him about the problem and he decided to help do something about it. He said this has been an increasing problem over time under every governor.

"It has nothing to do with Sarah Palin, it really doesn't, she just happens to be governor in 2009," Thoma said.

[...]

Palin said she loves Juneau and likes to see it shown off to visitors. She said that, if she had her way, there would be a big banner in front of the governor's mansion and the Capitol building that said "Welcome, People! Locals and outside tourists -- we're glad you're here. It's beautiful here -- Enjoy!"

Mr. Thoma, you are in fact a liar. In the beginning of the article you rip Governor Palin because she "attracts voyeurism" based on her "notoriety." At the end of the article you claim that it "has nothing to do with Sarah Palin." Please, spare us the nonsense. Thoma claims that this problem has occurred under every governor. Yes, I am sure that thousands of people were lining up to catch a glimpse of the charismatic Tony Knowles. Just imagine the problems Thoma will have on his hands if Mr. Personality himself, Andrew Halcro, ever gains more than 9% in the governor's election! Millions of people from all over America lining up to see Halcro. Even today, the traffic around his rental car business is horrendous! By the way, did anybody even notice that Halcro shut down his radio program and blog? I am sure that his seven listeners and readers are very disappointed. Although, seven is higher than the number Thoma claims are "fed up" with the Palin children -- a whopping four.

Governor Palin has even offered to meet with Thoma to discuss ways to "lower her profile," which include moving Piper's trampoline to a different part of the governor's mansion grounds. However, Thoma doesn't seem interested in actually discussing the issue with the Governor because he would rather just try to shut down a little girl's lemonade stand. As a "veteran" of Woodstock, Mr. Thoma sure has the experience to take down the "establishment," it is just that this time he would rather go after an eight year old's buoy swing and bicycle.

UPDATE: This quote also sticks out for me:

Cindy Smith, who lives near Cope Park, downhill from the governor's mansion, said the tours are a big problem in the narrow streets and she has been talking to everyone she can about it.

Who is Cindy Smith? Well, she is Hollis French's chief-of-staff.

UPDATE II: (H/T LindaW) Here are the "eyesores":


UPDATE by RAM: Tim Blair provides us with an excellent summary of Chip Thoma's life, titled "The Arc of A Thoma."

UPDATE by Mel: Tweet from the Guv:

As summer approaches the Great Land, so do AK visitors. We welcome you to visit us in the Land of the Midnight Sun!

How much is a glass of Piper's lemonade? I want to make sure I budget for that.