I consider the fact that she hired friends to fill government roles a non issue. What politician doesn't do that to help out friends?
Your link doesn't say her husband got to make decisions on how to run Alaska, however, it does say that he got to sit in on meetings. I do find that a bit odd, but we have certainly seen far stranger things in American politics heh.
Hiring off of emotional ties, rather than actually finding someone who is fair and impartial,
and probably more qualified for the job, should be of tantamount importance.
I'll put an example that some of you here might have run into everyday...The area representative (head) of the football teams' that my kids play for, let a friend of his coach. Not because of ability, but because of their personal relationship.
That season, the varsity team lost every single game.
The next year, they changed coaches, as the friend went to coach another age/grade division. The replacement coach was someone who wanted to be the Varsity coach the year they lost the entire season. They turned around, and won all but one game-the championship "bowl" game.
It's a serious issue whenever people are put into appointments not because of ability, but because of contacts.