Paul Jenkins did a good job describing why the taxpayers should not be on the hook for politicians’ misdeeds (ADN, May 14). Jenkins correctly pointed out that Mayor Dave Bronson has asked the Anchorage Assembly to reappropriate $827,500 to settle a trio of legal claims against the mayor’s administration. Those claims relate to the firing of Amy Demboski, who has threatened to sue the city and Heather MacAlpine, who has sued the city in both state and federal courts.
Originally, the $827,500 was identified as funds that would be used to settle another lawsuit filed by Roger Hickel Contracting related to initial construction work on a homeless shelter. Work was stopped after it became known their contract was expanded by the Bronson administration without prior approval from the Anchorage Assembly. Hickel’s work on the homeless shelter remains incomplete, and Hickel has sued the city for $2.4 million to recover costs it has incurred to date.
In total, the Bronson administration is facing lawsuits of more than $3.2 million for these three misdeeds alone. As I suspect Jenkins would agree, the taxpayers should not be on the hook for any of these costs. Instead, Bronson and his team need to acknowledge their responsibility for these actions and pay the costs themselves.
— Dolly Jens
Anchorage
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