I was shocked when my close friend told me she was losing her job as a gardener for the muni after 12 years due to budget cuts. 

To avoid the issue of seniority they “eliminated” her position. With this lower-middle-class job and the health insurance it provided, she has supported herself and her disabled husband, and with the generosity of family actually owns a home with a modest monthly mortgage payment she can barely manage to make. 

Anchorage’s flower gardens each summer are a huge hit with residents and tourists alike and the seeds to those flowers need to be planted soon to be ready for spring. Surely there are better ways to cut back. Fearing she won’t find another job, she is now looking into food stamps and other government aid which could cost the system more than her paycheck. Are you listening, Mayor?

— Valerie Maxim

Anchorage