Mayor puts foot down on boot fundraiser

The Assembly approved the ordinance last week to overcome a concern raised by the Sullivan administration that such fundraising would run afoul of city ethics law.

The measure approved July 13 by a 6-4 vote said straight out that use of city resources and employee fundraising are not prohibited by the city ethics law if the activity is authorized by the Assembly, or by the mayor or his designee, in writing.

In his veto message, Sullivan said the ordinance results in an expectation that the Assembly or mayor will give permission to use municipal resources to one group but not another.

"It will create a competitive, pressure environment where private parties, including charitable nonprofits, will feel compelled to lobby Assembly member and the mayor," he said, and that raises questions about fairness.

Sullivan also referred to the ethics ordinance passed while he was an Assembly member, in 2007, saying the Assembly at that time decided the best policy was to prohibit use of on-duty personnel and equipment from being used for private purposes.

"As public officials we have an obligation to ensure that taxpayer dollars are only used for legitimate government purposes," he said.

The mayor said his administration will make its own revisions to clarify the ethics ordinance. He said use of city resources for events such as parades and festivals would still be allowed in most circumstances.

Assembly member Elvi Gray- Jackson, a main backer of allowing on-duty firefighters to continue with their traditional fundraising effort, said she would try to get the Assembly to override the veto. But that takes eight votes, and she's not sure eight of the 11 Assembly members will go along.

She noted Sullivan has used his veto power regularly, and said, "I can't believe he's continuing with his power trip."

Assembly chairman Dick Traini said he supports a veto override. "The public needs to have this, the kids who suffer from muscular dystrophy need this."

Assemblyman Chris Birch, who opposed the ordinance passed last week, said he still feels the same way. "The concern I have is how do you pick winners and losers. And a volunteer by definition implies you're volunteering," he said.

For decades, fill-the-boot annual fundraisers have taken place in Anchorage on the Friday afternoon before Labor Day.

Both on and off-duty firefighters stand on street corners and even go into the street among cars lined up at traffic lights to collect donations for MDA. They ask people to drop money into a fireman's boot.

The firefighters pick a corner near their station and bring their trucks. Those on the job are available to leave quickly to respond to any emergencies, said firefighter representatives.

The fundraiser annually brings in about $115,000 for MDA of Alaska -- about one-seventh of the local group's yearly budget.

MDA executive director Sabrina Hoppes said the fundraiser will go on with volunteer, off-duty firefighters if necessary. But she has said that MDA groups around the country have found they raise significantly more money if the fire trucks are present, along with the firefighters.

Find Rosemary Shinohara online at adn.com/contact/rshinohara or call her at 257-4340.