The snow and ice has been melting, which makes it soggy and wet outside. On top of that falls a rare February rain washing away some of the doldrums of winter.
It makes for a good time to reflect. I was born and raised here in Anchorage and attended the same high school as my mother and her siblings. I love this city. The swell of pride that many feel when they see the red, white and blue of the American flag, I feel when I see eight stars of gold on a field of blue and the symbolic anchor of Anchorage.
Many have said lately that Alaska is in decline and that Anchorage is following suit. I disagree. Certainly, Anchorage isn't the utopia that it could be and we have some things to work on, however, I believe the state of our city is strong.
The people in our city are second to none. Business is booming, our festivals and events are fantastic and with the new convention center, we are becoming a destination for conventions. As a city, while the rest of the country seems to still be recovering, we are building. Every day we see new construction popping up around town.
While Anchorage is already a great city, there is some room to improve. Anchorage's downtown is a great place. The "city of lights" is a great place to have a fun evening on the town. The Performing Arts Center is the ideal venue to see a live show or a concert. Downtown also boasts some of the best eateries around.
Anchorage has amazing trails and parks. In the summer, hiking, biking and backpacking are all available within the city limits. In the winter, world-class downhill and cross-country skiing is at our disposal.
When it comes to the future of Anchorage, we aren't trying to decide how to fix our city; we are looking to who we want to be as we enter the next era. Anchorage has truly become a great place to live, work and play -- so what's next?
Public safety has to be at the forefront in shaping our future.
We need to attack the growing problems downtown head on. At an event at the Anchorage Senior Center, Andrew Halcro said, "Every great city has a great downtown," and he's right. Anchorage has a great downtown, but chronic inebriates and bar-brawl rowdies have diminished its value to most residents.
The Anchorage Police Department should provide more foot patrols downtown and beef up the police presence there. We also need to weed the bad bar owners out, which, combined with a stronger police presence, will alleviate much of the bar-brawl problems.
Also, what should be the one of the shining jewels of downtown -- Town Square Park -- has been overrun by chronic inebriates and gang members. We've all seen the problems with open-container violations, and may soon start seeing open marijuana smoking happening in the park. There is also an unfortunate history of rape and violent attacks in the park.
In 1995, the New York City Council passed a law that helped Mayor Rudy Giuliani eradicate adult-oriented businesses from Times Square. This combined with a larger police presence helped move out the bad element that had previously turned Times Square into a cesspool.
Downtown Anchorage is nowhere near in as bad of shape as Times Square was -- nobody is arguing that. However, with some Giuliani-style justice, we can nip the problems we are seeing, in the bud with some very important measures now, which can help prevent that.
Anchorage also just recently saw a spate of six murders in six weeks. That was capped off by two shootings at Spenard area bar Chilkoot Charlie's, in less than 24 hours, which left one person in critical condition. It is hard to argue that the violent crime problem in Anchorage is not becoming out of control.
APD is burning through overtime hours at an unbelievable rate just to meet a "tolerable level" according to Police Chief Mark Mew in an Alaska Dispatch News story from November. Instead of paying officers overtime rates and running the risk of burning officers out without enough time off, APD should work towards proper staffing levels.
A properly staffed police department could then focus more on the growing gang problem and other violence issues surrounding downtown and bar break. They could build intelligence on gang members and create increased patrols in the areas where they operate. We could do more community policing and win over the hearts and minds of children before they turn to gangs and violence.
Anchorage is a great city -- with a little bit of work, it can continue to be one of the best places to live and raise a family in the country.
Mike Dingman is a fifth-generation Alaskan born and raised in Anchorage. He is a former UAA student body president and has worked, studied and volunteered in Alaska politics since the late '90s. Email michaeldingman@gmail.com.
The views expressed here are the writer's own and are not necessarily endorsed by Alaska Dispatch News, which welcomes a broad range of viewpoints. To submit a piece for consideration, e-mail commentary(at)alaskadispatch.com
Alaska Dispatch Publishing