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In advance of the April 6 Anchorage municipal election, the Anchorage Daily News asked candidates running for Anchorage mayor a series of issue questions. These include questions suggested by readers. Read all the mayor and school board candidates’ responses here.
Q: The past year has been marked by increasing civic discord in Anchorage. What would you do to reduce frustration, distrust and anger that increasingly has characterized civic conversation?
Removing mask mandates, reframing the conversation about masking/social responsibility. Making everyone around you responsible for your health and happiness will only increase tension. The creep of politics into every facet of public life, and increasingly the push to insert politics into private life, forces people who disagree on things which are not that important into conflict. I think an emphasis on minding your own business would be healthy. Happily, most people are just living their own lives with no particular malice directed at their neighbors.
We simply must communicate better. The previous administration closed our businesses, our churches, and our schools, causing acute social and economic devastation. Then they closed our Assembly as we tried to appeal those onerous decisions, eliminating our ability to communicate with our government. We should have expected nothing less than the discord we experienced. As mayor, I will not shut down our Assembly, our churches, or our businesses. I will communicate much better with multiple different media.
I would attempt to find common ground. I believe that 70% or more of the population has very similar views, and partisan fundraising and politics silence the voice of the people. The top four or five candidates in this race have $150,000 to $270,000 each and those donations come from groups of people as small as 500 people. Our municipality only has 280,000 people, So the top fundraiser has collected about a dollar for every man, woman and child in our city, to convince you to vote for the agenda that has been paid for by that relatively small group of funders. It’s a pay-for-play game for the people who can contribute, and it polarizes our government officials and politicians who seek power and influence. I believe voters want someone who isn’t pandering to their money makers.
Along with the pandemic, the co-occurring challenge facing Anchorage is the rise of “fact-free,” conspiratorial politics, disconnected from public health, reasonable dialogue and the realities of governing. Our community cannot heal and our economy cannot recover if misinformation and lack of civility continue to spread. It will take a commitment from all of us, from across the political spectrum, to reject this style of politics and recommit to fact-based discourse. My administration will be committed to better communication, transparency and facilitation of dialogue to help this happen. We will also assist community groups who seek to make the Assembly chambers more welcoming, and will make agencies more responsive when residents need answers and information on vital programs.
Anchorage has many problems. We need to focus on our shared problems and not on political hot-button issues that only divide us. The solutions we need are not Republican solutions or Democrat solutions, they are simply the right and effective solutions. Running a municipal government should be about getting things done and improving the quality of life for the people in the city ... all of the people. We should have a mayor who is focused on solutions and not on politics. That example might help in bringing the temperature down and quelling the anger.
The mayor has the opportunity, and responsibility, to set a tone of civility and respect. That means proactively reaching out to key stakeholders, welcoming everyone into a collaborative effort of joint problem-solving, really listening, and, after arriving at a decision, explaining candidly, not just what the decision is, but the reasoning behind it. It also means working to maintain a relentless focus, not on waging political battles, but on the essential business of the municipality: solving problems and delivering real, on-the-ground solutions for residents.
Lead from the front. Be visible. No secret meetings. No undermining the public. Giving more weight to a public vote not limited to community councils or lobbying opinions.
Effective leadership brings people together through authentic listening with empathy, clear work plans for collaboration and room to disagree with dignity but still find a way back to collective work. Too many leaders are ready to point fingers and call the opposition names. This is an error in judgment. As a diplomat with deep community relationships, I am the most qualified person to decrease discord and increase collaboration. Bipartisan endorsements from community leaders like former Mayor Rick Mystrom and school board member Margo Bellamy speak to my ability to build bridges of understanding and opportunity for people to work together to move Anchorage forward.
I would lead by listening. I would work to restore the faith of the electorate in their elected officials.
Total transparency and openness to the public is mandatory. Elimination of all closed-door Assembly meetings and Municipality of Anchorage legally sealed settlements and other items from public view. The MOA is operated and exists for service to the people of Anchorage and is answerable to them. The MOA must honor all rights granted to the people of Anchorage by our great country and protect these with proper logic, analysis and legal responsibility. If differences still exist, then as a democracy, the people will have the final decision based upon public involvement, input and special voting if required. The public is entitled to overrule the legal actions of the Assembly and mayor if needed, by means of a special vote if they desire, and the MOA charter needs to be changed and revised if required.
Read more questions:
Why are you running for mayor?
What’s the biggest challenge facing city government and how would you address it?
Describe how your administration would approach the coronavirus pandemic
Would you make changes to the Anchorage Police Department and policing policies? Why?
Is the Anchorage Police Department adequately staffed?
Describe, with specifics, how you would expand and diversify Anchorage’s economy.
What’s your vision for Anchorage’s economy in the future?
Is taxation in Anchorage too high/about right/too low?
Do you have ideas for alternative sources of city revenue? Explain.
Are there city programs or services you would cut? Explain.
Are there city programs or services you would expand? Explain.
What’s your view of current Anchorage land-use plans? Would you push for changes?
Name a program dealing with homelessness in Anchorage that you believe is working
Are there specific transportation projects you would initiate in the municipality if elected?