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CONTROVERSIES As governor of Alaska, Sarah Palin has come under scrutiny over several issues.

COMPILED BY JULIANN VACHON

September 4, 2008

Firing of Wasilla police chief

CHARGE: Former Wasilla Police Chief Irl Stambaugh said Palin fired him while she was serving as mayor because he advocated policies that were unpopular with her campaign contributors, including the National Rifle Association and local bar owners.

FACTS: Palin fired Stambaugh after taking office in 1996, explaining later that she felt she did not have his full support. Stambaugh filed a lawsuit in 1997 alleging that his call for bars to close at 2 a.m. instead of 5 a.m., and his stance on restricting concealed weapons, led to his firing. A federal judge ruled that under city law, Palin had the right to fire a police chief for any reason.

Source: ABC news; Anchorage Daily News

Firing of Alaska Public Safety Commissioner

CHARGE: Palin pressured and then fired Alaska Public Safety Commissioner Walter Monegan after he refused to fire her former brother-in-law, state trooper Michael Wooten, who at the time was going through a divorce and child custody battle with Palin's younger sister.

FACTS: Palin's chief of staff fired Monegan in July 2008. Monegan had served for 19 months. Palin denied any wrongdoing in the situation. A bipartisan state legislature committee voted to hire a retired prosecutor to investigate the matter. Results are due in October. Also, Palin has requested an internal investigation through the state attorney general's office. Source: AP

Earmarks

CHARGE: Palin traveled to Washington, D.C., while mayor of Wasilla, Alaska, requesting and obtaining congressional earmarks for local projects. John McCain is a strong opponent of such government spending.

FACTS: Palin helped secure $27 million in federal earmarks, including $15 million for a commuter rail project, while serving as mayor of Wasilla between 1996 and 2002. Under her leadership, the town also hired a lobbying company to help secure federal earmark funding. As governor of Alaska, however, Palin vetoed tens of millions of dollars in funding for local projects brought forward by state legislators.

Source: Taxpayers for Common Sense, a nonpartisan group that monitors pork-barrel spending; wire reports

'Bridge to nowhere'

CHARGE: Palin supported the controversial bridge, which many considered a symbol of federal pork-barrel spending; it would have connected Ketchikan, Alaska and Gravina Island, and drew criticism because it would have benefitted only a sparsely populated area.

FACT: Alaska's congressional delegation earmarked $223 million for the Ketchikan crossing. During her 2006 gubernatorial campaign, Palin told voters she supported the bridge's construction because it would have spurred economic growth. Congress later removed the language requiring that the money go to the bridge. In 2007, Palin canceled the project, which she said was projected to cost $400 million, and reallocated the funding.

Source: AP