Mayoral election in Anchorage, Alaska (April 6, 2021 general election)

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2021 Anchorage elections
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Election dates
Filing deadline: January 29, 2021
General election: April 6, 2021
Runoff election: May 11, 2021 (if necessary)
Election stats
Offices up: Mayor
Total seats up: 1 (click here for other city elections)
Election type: Nonpartisan
Other municipal elections
U.S. municipal elections, 2021

The city of Anchorage, Alaska, held a nonpartisan general election for mayor on April 6, 2021. David Bronson and Forrest Dunbar advanced to a May 11 runoff election, as neither candidate won more than 45% of the vote. Bronson received 33% of the vote to Dunbar's 31%. No other candidate received more than 15% of the vote.[1]

Incumbent Ethan Berkowitz (D) resigned from office on October 23, 2020, due to what he said was "unacceptable personal conduct that has compromised my ability to perform my duties with the focus and trust that is required."[2] Austin Quinn-Davidson was selected by the Anchorage Assembly to serve as acting mayor.[3]

Fifteen candidates ran in the race. Media attention focused on six candidates: Bronson, Dunbar, Bill Evans, Bill Falsey, George Martinez, and Mike Robbins.[4][5][6] These candidates also led in endorsements and fundraising.

Dunbar previously ran as a Democrat in 2014 to represent the At-Large Congressional District of Alaska in the U.S. House.[7] Robbins is the chairman of the Republican Party of Alaska for district 26 of the Alaska House of Representatives and received the endorsements of four Republican members of the Alaska State Senate and two of the Alaska House of Representatives.[8] Natasha A. Von Imhof (R) endorsed Evans, and former Lieutenant Governor of Alaska Craig Campbell (R) endorsed Bronson. Planned Parenthood endorsed Dunbar, Martinez, and Falsey.

Economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic was a central issue in the race. Dunbar and Falsey said they support maintaining safety measures enacted by the Anchorage Assembly, such as a mask mandate and business restrictions, while Bronson, Evans, and Robbins said that they support reconsidering or removing restrictions. Homelessness and crime was also a key topic, with candidates divided over shelter funding and locations and prevention methods. Click here to see each candidate's positions on these issues and others.

The city government of Anchorage combines a council-manager system with a strong mayor system. The city council serves as the city's primary legislative body and the mayor serves as the chief executive of the city. The mayor, however, appoints a city manager to oversee the city's day-to-day operations and execute city policies.[9] The mayor is responsible for proposing a budget, signing legislation into law, appointing departmental directors, and overseeing the city's day-to-day operations. The mayor also represents the city on the state, national, and international levels.[10]

Four school board seats and 11 propositions were also on the ballot. There were no assembly seats up for reelection.[11] The filing deadline for this election was January 29, 2021.

Elections

Click on the tabs below to show more information about those topics.

General runoff election

General runoff election for Mayor of Anchorage

David Bronson defeated Forrest Dunbar in the general runoff election for Mayor of Anchorage on May 11, 2021.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of David Bronson
David Bronson (Nonpartisan)
 
50.7
 
45,937
Image of Forrest Dunbar
Forrest Dunbar (Nonpartisan)
 
49.3
 
44,744

There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 90,681
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

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General election

General election for Mayor of Anchorage

The following candidates ran in the general election for Mayor of Anchorage on April 6, 2021.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of David Bronson
David Bronson (Nonpartisan)
 
33.0
 
24,567
✔
Image of Forrest Dunbar
Forrest Dunbar (Nonpartisan)
 
30.9
 
23,054
Image of Bill Falsey
Bill Falsey (Nonpartisan)
 
12.8
 
9,551
Image of Bill Evans
Bill Evans (Nonpartisan)
 
9.5
 
7,073
Image of Mike Robbins
Mike Robbins (Nonpartisan)
 
7.7
 
5,766
Image of George Martinez
George Martinez (Nonpartisan)
 
3.7
 
2,753
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Heather Herndon (Nonpartisan)
 
0.6
 
451
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
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Jeffrey T. Brown (Nonpartisan)
 
0.4
 
307
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Anna Anthony (Nonpartisan)
 
0.4
 
306
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
Submit photo
Albert Swank Jr. (Nonpartisan)
 
0.3
 
231
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Submit photo
Joe Westfall (Nonpartisan)
 
0.1
 
83
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Jacob Kern (Nonpartisan)
 
0.1
 
52
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Reza Momin (Nonpartisan)
 
0.1
 
52
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Jacob Versteeg (Nonpartisan)
 
0.1
 
43
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Darin Colbry (Nonpartisan)
 
0.0
 
31
 Other/Write-in votes
 
0.3
 
205

There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 74,525
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Candidate profiles

This section includes candidate profiles created in one of two ways: either the candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey, or Ballotpedia staff compiled a profile based on campaign websites, advertisements, and public statements after identifying the candidate as noteworthy.[12]


David Bronson

David Bronson

Image of David Bronson

Facebook

Incumbent: No

Political Office: None

Biography:  From 1981 to 1990, Bronson was an active-duty Air Force pilot. He served as a U.S. Air Force Reserves Plans Officer from 1992 to 1993 and as an Alaska Air National Guard maintenance officer and pilot from 1993 to 2005. He also worked as a commercial pilot from 1990 to 2020.


Key Messages

The following key messages were curated by Ballotpedia staff. For more on how we identify key messages, click here.

Bronson said he wanted to establish a taskforce and provide tax incentives to aid in the economic recovery of Anchorage businesses.

Bronson said he wanted to increase the number of officers in the Anchorage Police Department and increase police presence in high-crime areas of the city. 

To address the issue of homelessness in Anchorage, Bronson said that the city should work with faith-based organizations and provide drug and alcohol abuse treatment rather than using public facilities as homeless shelters. 

Show sources

Sources: Dave Bronson for Mayor, "A New Direction," accessed March 6, 2021; Dave Bronson for Mayor, "Meet Dave," accessed March 6, 2021

This information was current as of the candidate's run for Mayor of Anchorage in 2021.

Forrest Dunbar

Forrest Dunbar

Image of Forrest Dunbar

Facebook

Incumbent: No

Political Office: 

Anchorage Assembly (Assumed office: 2016)

Biography:  At the time of the 2021 election, Dunbar had been a member of the Anchorage Assembly since 2016, representing District 5 Seat H. He is an officer in the Alaska Army National Guard, an attorney, and formerly ran as a Democrat for a seat in the U.S. House.


Key Messages

The following key messages were curated by Ballotpedia staff. For more on how we identify key messages, click here.

Dunbar said he supported continued COVID-19 precautions such as mask requirements and an audit of pandemic relief funds to ensure they are being distributed equitably

Dunbar said the city should seek both federal and private funding for additional mental health and substance abuse programs.

Dunbar said he wanted to invest in projects to improve the economy of downtown Anchorage by making the area safer, cleaner, and more accessible. 

Show sources

Sources: Forrest Dunbar for Mayor, "Issues," accessed March 6, 2021; Anchorage Daily News, "Here’s who has filed to run for Anchorage mayor and the Anchorage School Board so far," accessed March 6, 2021

This information was current as of the candidate's run for Mayor of Anchorage in 2021.

Bill Evans

Bill Evans

Image of Bill Evans

WebsiteFacebook

Incumbent: No

Political Office: 

Anchorage Assembly: 2014-2017

Biography:  Evans is a labor and employment lawyer and served in the Anchorage Assembly from 2014 to 2017 representing District 6.


Key Messages

The following key messages were curated by Ballotpedia staff. For more on how we identify key messages, click here.

Evans said that he supports reevaluating COVID-19 health restrictions in order to help businesses stay open and keep more people employed.

To address homelessness, Evans said he supports prioritizing temporary shelters over permanent housing, providing additional resources for substance abuse and mental health treatment facilities, and strictly enforcing panhandling restrictions and public nuisance laws. 

Evans said he would promote economic development by amending municipal planning codes that he says can deter investment and providing tax deferrals and abatements for businesses. 

Show sources

Sources: Bill Evans for Mayor, "Issues," accessed March 6, 2021; Anchorage Daily News, "Here’s who has filed to run for Anchorage mayor and the Anchorage School Board so far," accessed March 6, 2021

This information was current as of the candidate's run for Mayor of Anchorage in 2021.

Bill Falsey

Bill Falsey

Image of Bill Falsey

WebsiteFacebook

Incumbent: No

Political Office: None

Biography:  Falsey served as municipal attorney in Anchorage from 2015 to 2017 and the as municipal manager from 2017 to 2020. He has served on the board of the United Way of Anchorage; CIVICVentures, the Anchorage Coalition to End Homelessness, the Anchorage Police and Fire Retirement System Board, the Alaska Municipal Attorneys Association, the Alaska State Society; Alaska Common Ground, and the Arc of Anchorage.


Key Messages

The following key messages were curated by Ballotpedia staff. For more on how we identify key messages, click here.

The city should build on the pandemic response measures enacted by the city in the past year and it is important for the city to communicate and explain the rational behind restrictions, Falsey said.  

To promote economic development, Falsey says he supports projects such as rebuilding the Port of Alaska.

Falsey says he supports a comprehensive plan to address homelessness that includes creating a shelter system of appropriate size, a camp-abatement program to connect the homeless to relevant services, and housing-first programs. 

Show sources

Sources: Alaska Public Media, "Anchorage mayoral hopefuls offer different visions on how to help the city recover," March 2, 2021Bill Falsey for Mayor, "The Issues," accessed March 6, 2021; Must Read Alaska, "Anchorage’s muni manager Bill Falsey resigns, running for mayor; Anna Henderson hired to run city," November 25, 2020Falsey for Mayor, "About," accessed March 14, 2021

This information was current as of the candidate's run for Mayor of Anchorage in 2021.

George Martinez

George Martinez

Image of George Martinez

WebsiteFacebook

Incumbent: No

Political Office: None

Biography:  Martinez is a program director for the Alaska Humanities Forum. He served as special assistant to the Mayor of Anchorage for economic development, youth development, education and diversity for 4 years.


Key Messages

The following key messages were curated by Ballotpedia staff. For more on how we identify key messages, click here.

Martinez said that COVID-19 relief measures should be more equitably distributed and focus on those most effected by the pandemic. 

 To improve the city's economy, Martinez said that he would focus on infrastructure, tourism, and reducing red tape for businesses.

Martinez said he would address homelessness through jobs programs and substance abuse and mental health treatment programs, and says that he supports a scattered-site model for shelters and services as opposed to large-scale facilities. 

Show sources

Sources: Alaska Public Media, "Anchorage mayoral hopefuls offer different visions on how to help the city recover," March 2, 2021George Martinez for Mayor, "Anchorage Forward," accessed March 6, 2021; Anchorage Daily News, "Here’s who has filed to run for Anchorage mayor and the Anchorage School Board so far," accessed March 6, 2021George Martinez for Mayor, "Meet George," accessed March 14, 2021

This information was current as of the candidate's run for Mayor of Anchorage in 2021.

Mike Robbins

Mike Robbins

Image of Mike Robbins

WebsiteFacebook

Incumbent: No

Political Office: None

Biography:  Robbins is a bussinessan and district chairman of the Alaska Republican Party for House district 26. Before entering the race, Robbins served as the general manager of Falcon Broadcasting.


Key Messages

The following key messages were curated by Ballotpedia staff. For more on how we identify key messages, click here.

Robbins said he opposes the pandemic response measures implemented by the city and supports reopening businesses. 

Rather than public programs, Robbins said that he supports addressing homelessness through private non-profits and faith-based organizations

Show sources

Sources: Alaska Public Media, "Anchorage mayoral hopefuls offer different visions on how to help the city recover," March 2, 2021Robbins for Mayor, "Priorities," accessed March 7, 2021; Anchorage Daily News, "Republican Mike Robbins joins 2021 Anchorage mayoral race," August 20, 2020Robbins for Mayor, "About Mike," accessed March 14. 2021

This information was current as of the candidate's run for Mayor of Anchorage in 2021.


Campaign finance

The chart below contains data from financial reports submitted to the Alaska Public Offices Commission.

Noteworthy endorsements

Noteworthy endorsements
Endorsement Bronson Dunbar Evans Falsey Martinez Robbins
Individuals
Former state senator Johnny Ellis [13] ✔
Former Anchorage Mayor Rick Mystrom[14] ✔
Former Anchorage Mayor Dan Sullivan[15] ✔
Former Alaska Lieutenant Governor Mead Treadwell[16] ✔
Former Alaska Commissioner of Revenue Eric Wohlforth[17] ✔
Elected officials
Kenai Peninsula Borough Mayor Charlie Pierce[18] ✔
Anchorage Assembly Member Crystal Kennedy[19] ✔
Anchorage Assembly Member John Weddleton[20] ✔
Alaska State Senator Josh Revak[21] ✔
Alaska State Representative Laddie Shaw[22] ✔
Alaska State Senator Lesil McGuire[23] ✔
Alaska State Senator Natasha A. Von Imhof[24] ✔
Alaska State Senator Roger Holland[25] ✔
Alaska State Representative Sharon Jackson[26] ✔
Alaska State Senator Shelley Hughes[27] ✔
Organizations
Planned Parenthood Votes Northwest and Hawai’i[28][29][30] ✔ ✔ ✔

Campaign advertisements

This section shows advertisements released in this race. Ads released by campaigns and, if applicable, satellite groups are embedded or linked below. If you are aware of advertisements that should be included, please email us.

Independent Dave Bronson

Supporting Bronson

"Dave Bronson for Mayor of Anchorage" - Bronson campaign ad, released March 19, 2021


Independent Forrest Dunbar

Supporting Dunbar

"Sun Coming Up Over Anchorage" - Dunbar campaign ad, released March 30, 2021
"Our Future" - Dunbar campaign ad, released March 11, 2021
"The Days Ahead of Us" - Dunbar campaign ad, released March 4, 2021
"Our Home" - Dunbar campaign ad, released March 4, 2021


Independent Bill Evans

Supporting Evans

"Bill Evans for Mayor" - Evans campaign ad, released March 24, 2021
"Touring the Sullivan Arena" - Evans campaign ad, released February 16, 2021
"Striking a Better Balance" - Evans campaign ad, released January 31, 2021
"Bill Evans for Anchorage Mayor" - Evans campaign ad, released September 20, 2020


Independent Bill Falsey

Supporting Falsey

"[Radio ad] Public Safety" - Falsey campaign ad, released March 18, 2021
"Why I'm Running – Bill Falsey for Mayor of Anchorage" - Falsey campaign ad, released March 4, 2021
"[Radio ad] Bill Falsey Bio" - Falsey campaign ad, released February 12, 2021
"[Radio ad] 'I Believe'" - Falsey campaign ad, released February 12, 2021
"Who is Bill Falsey? – Bill Falsey for Mayor of Anchorage" - Falsey campaign ad, released February 11, 2021
"What I Believe – Bill Falsey for Mayor of Anchorage" - Falsey campaign ad, released February 11, 2021


Independent George Martinez

Supporting Martinez

"George for Anchorage - Diversity Through Hip Hop" - Martinez campaign ad, released April 3, 2021
"Vote George Martinez for Mayor of Anchorage" - Martinez campaign ad, released March 30, 2021
"George Martinez for Anchorage Mayor -Together We'll Do More!" - Martinez campaign ad, released February 25, 2021
"We Are Ready" - Martinez campaign ad, released December 31, 2020
"Working Together" - Martinez campaign ad, released September 6, 2020


Independent Mike Robbins

Supporting Robbins

"Mike Robbins Anchorage Vision" - Robbins campaign ad, released March 24, 2021
"Robbins for Mayor 2021" - Robbins campaign ad, released January 20, 2021
"Mike Robbins in Sixty Seconds." - Robbins campaign ad, released December 9, 2020


Mayoral partisanship

See also: Partisanship in United States municipal elections (2021)

Mayoral elections were held in 28 of the 100 largest U.S. cities in 2021. Once mayors elected in 2021 assumed office, the mayors of 64 of the country's 100 largest cities were affiliated with the Democratic Party.

The following top-100 mayoral offices changed partisan control in 2021:

What was at stake?

Report a story for this election

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Candidate survey

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Debates and forums

February 16, 2021

The Anchorage Coalition to End Homelessness, the Anchorage Home Builders Association, the Rasmuson Foundation, Northrim Bank and the Anchorage Daily News hosted a debate. View a video here.

Campaign themes

See also: Campaign themes

Independent David Bronson

Campaign website

Bronson’s campaign website stated the following:

“
  • Economy
Economic activity in Anchorage is suffering a significant downturn. All sectors are experiencing tremendous financial pressures. We have seen store and restaurant closures, not all driven by the overreach restrictions implemented in response to Coronavirus by the current administration. Downtown is losing major retailers which serve as anchors for our small businesses. Vagrancy and crime are causing shoppers to avoid downtown.
Anchorage has lost more than 17,000 jobs since 2015. We need an economic revitalization effort stimulated by private sector growth, not government expansion. We need innovation in business development that incentivizes new investment and business openings in our city. One of my first actions as your mayor will be to establish the Anchorage Economic Advisory Taskforce to present recommendations within 120 days of establishment for our economic recovery. We will develop a comprehensive tax incentive program to attract new businesses. We will launch a supply chain and a new business recruitment effort in conjunction with the private sector to capitalize on shifts in the Alaskan economy. We will launch a remote work initiative to connect prospective job seekers with jobs. We will divest unused city lands and properties that are not planned for future government activities to create a broader private sector tax base. As mayor, I will streamline the building process by consolidating economic and community development, planning, project management and engineering, and inspections into a single agency to facilitate new construction and improved community development. This effort will be laser focused to providing centralized efforts to support businesses navigating the economic development process. We will maximize digital processes to reduce both the time and cost of project developments. We will eliminate overly regulating Title 21 standards that hinder cost-effective building. With the major market’s shifts in markets and recent Coronavirus impact, we must aggressively restimulate our economy. Economic growth is essential to generate a vibrant community which we can achieve together.
  • Crime
We can no longer tolerate a permissive attitude in our leaders toward lawlessness. Living on our streets is illegal, and it must be treated as such. As your mayor, I will not tolerate lawlessness by anyone. Historically, Anchorage crime is 142% greater than the national average and 45% higher than the Alaska average. We have a higher violent crime and property crime rate than both the national and Alaskan average. Every type of crime has increased in Anchorage each year since 2014. Our crime rate is higher than 93% of all American cities. We have an “F” rating when it comes to crime control. While the number of police officers has increased, the focus on reducing violent and property crimes has not been a priority of the current administration. Don’t be fooled by those that say crime has decreased in 2020. This decrease is a direct correlation with the closures and quarantine steps taken to reduce the spread of the Coronavirus. It has not been because of leadership from City Hall to reduce crime. Anchorage has one of the finest police departments in the nation with the least amount of corruption and fewest number of “bad-actor” officers. Our jump in crime is directly related to a lack of mayoral leadership. When elected I will:
  • Focus on community policing
  • Increase the number of officers within the Anchorage Police Department
  • NOT defund the police to fund social programs
  • Make illegal drug use and possession arrests a priority
  • Enforce the anti-panhandling law
  • Decrease violence
  • Intensify police presence in areas most impacted by increased crime
  • Expand public outreach and communications on police priorities and results
Like you, I expect Anchorage to be a safe city for everyone, and that starts with mayoral leadership that sets a priority on decreasing every crime category in Anchorage. I am the mayor who will get this done!
  • Tax and Spend
As our economy is being economically devastated and our population decreases, our local elected officials continue to tax and spend. This must stop! We cannot tax and spend our way to prosperity. Tax money is not the government’s money. It is your money, and our government has been entrusted to spend it wisely. This has not been accomplished by our current mayor and assembly majority. To sustain a balanced budget without increased taxation will require reducing costs and streamlining services. This is my goal. Personnel costs account for the single largest component in municipal government. The average annual salary and benefits package for full-time municipal employees in over $125,000, out-pacing the private sector and creating increased pressure for your tax dollars. The mayor’s office alone has a Chief of Staff, Municipal Manger, a Senior Policy Advisor, three Special Assistants, a Housing and Homeless Services Coordinator, and now an Office of Equality and Justice. To reduce expenditures, I will start by consolidating administrative functions and reducing the number of senior managers. The taxes you pay should be spent on public services for you, not for high paid government bureaucrats. I will prioritize the budget based on the essential government services; such as police, fire protection, street maintenance and snow plowing, and emergency management. Educational per student costs in Anchorage are the second highest in the nation. Good public education is indispensable for a prosperous community. I will work with the Anchorage School District to increase graduation results without placing additional demand on taxpayer funding.
As mayor, I will:
  • NOT implement a sales tax
  • NOT seek alternative taxes to circumvent the voter approved municipal tax cap
  • NOT inflate property assessments and raise the mill levy to gain additional revenues on the backs of property owners
  • NOT eliminate the senior property tax exemptions
  • make it easier for businesses, both large and small, to successfully operate in Anchorage They must feel free from onerous taxes and regulations. The business of Anchorage is business. A thriving economy creates jobs, brings in more revenues, and improves the quality of life for everyone. I will focus government spending for the essentials and keep a lid on taxes.
  • Homelessness
Anchorage is being devastated by homelessness. People are living on the streets and in our parks at record numbers. As mayor, I will aggressively and compassionately work to reduce the homelessness problem in our city. Scattering the problem into neighborhoods across our city is not right. Buying hotels to warehouse those who are homeless and are suffering from substance addiction is not the answer. The actions of the current administration have caused an explosion in the numbers of homeless in Anchorage. I will reverse these mistakes and not enable homelessness in Anchorage. I will form a team to work with the Brother Francis Shelter, Anchorage Gospel Rescue Center, Salvation Army Clithroe Center, and others to increase services and capacity. I will return the Sullivan Arena to its intended purpose as a sports and events venue, not a homeless shelter, and will never use hockey arenas for homeless shelters. We have plenty of capacity available in our community to manage this problem without commandeering our public facilities. I will reach out to the faith-based community to partner in supporting those who find themselves homeless caused by our economic downturn. We must put more resources into drug and alcohol treatment for the homeless. Those who suffer from mental illness must be provided counseling and treatment. My administration will work with both government and private organizations to provide these necessary services. Those who choose to live a homeless lifestyle will not be allowed to ruin our businesses and neighborhoods. They will be removed from our parks, public streets, and our business and residential areas.[32]
 ”
—Bronson’s campaign website (2021)[33]


Independent Forrest Dunbar

Campaign website

Dunbar’s campaign website stated the following:

“
  • Affordable housing
The Anchorage Economic Development Corporation (AEDC) has made clear in its surveys of businesses: affordable housing is one of the most important factors in recruiting and retaining young professionals and their families. As it stands now, companies have a difficult time getting young professionals to remain, many of them disappointed by the lack of quality available in the housing market at their price point. Simultaneously, many properties lack the amenities seniors require to age in place or retire in Anchorage comfortably.
Building affordable housing is therefore key to the healthy growth of our neighborhoods and economy. Increasingly, we will have to do in-fill development, as we have relatively little easily-developable land remaining. My administration will seek creative policy solutions to promote housing development all across the Municipality, including working with those in the industry, as I have before, to ensure our regulations are not imposing illogical requirements or unnecessary burdens. To be clear, that does NOT mean gutting our building safety code or our land-use regulations which promote walkability, livability, and “eyes on the street.” Rather, it means partnering with those who actually do the building to determine the best, safest, and most affordable way to renew Anchorage’s housing stock, as well as looking for opportunities along our transit corridors for modern, multi-use development.
Housing has proven to be the most effective connection to make so that people can be successful in their jobs or mental health treatment. We must connect those experiencing homelessness with the resources they need. Investments in rapid re-housing or permanent supportive housing are cheaper than allowing people to try to live in green spaces or emergency shelters, stressing our emergency medical systems. My Administration will pursue a multifaceted approach of increased collaboration between private organizations, investments in proven housing programs, and improving emergency shelter to keep our green spaces safe for everyone. :We have seen programs work in other communities, and we must not be afraid to take bold steps forward.
WHAT WE’VE DONE SO FAR:
  • Accessory Dwelling Unit Ordinance (AO 2018-43)
  • Served on the AEDC Housing subcommittee
  • Co-Sponsored affordable housing policy of Unit Lot Subdivision (AO 2017-75)
  • Supported Downtown property tax abatement
  • Co-sponsored Right of Way code on driveways amendment (Amendment to AO 2020-83)
  • Co-sponsored Transit-supported corridor ordinance
  • Co-sponsored micro-trenching ordinance to promote affordable broadband (AO 2020-83)
  • Prevented certain additional, expensive additions to latest round of building code
  • COVID-19 Response
As our community looks to the future and works to recover from the Coronavirus, my administration will lead a multi-faceted approach to recovery.
Economic Resilience and Recovery
My top priority is to lead the Municipality out of the COVID crisis and recession. We need strong leadership in the Mayor’s Office, leadership that is capable of building community coalitions to provide information to all those who need it and enforce strong protections for public health and safety.
With clear adaptation guidelines, a commitment to public health and science, consistent masking, and the continued support of the small business community, we can find ways to keep the Anchorage economy open and safe. With a community commitment to masking, our economy can begin to recover even before the virus is fully eradicated. We will continue current programs to waive or reduce Municipal fees, provide small business grants and rental relief, and suspend regulations that might not be practical during a viral pandemic.
Once case counts are down, I will safely move us out of our State of Emergency and will build out Municipal economic programs as soon as I take office. Coming as it will in mid-summer, the transition to a new Administration will work closely with the existing Municipal leadership; as the only candidate running who is currently serving in office, I am best positioned to begin that transition early and to hit the ground running on Day One. Municipal recovery programs will also be closely connected to those funded and led by the State and Federal governments, and will continue the current, all-out effort to vaccinate our population.
Equity in Recovery
Equity has been top of mind for myself and other leaders since this pandemic began. If we want Anchorage to recover fully, we need every community and small business owner to have an opportunity to get the help they need. I support an equity audit of the CARES Act dollars and other coronavirus relief funds. While we all only hope that we do not live through another crisis like this one, we need to know how well we operated during this time, make policy adjustments, and see what needs to change in our routine operations.
As a Municipality, we must improve our constituent communication. I’ve heard that feedback and intend to act upon it quickly to provide better information about services, new ordinances, and budget questions. This must be coupled with an improved website so everyone can access information easily and in the language they need. The Municipality’s CARES Act website has won awards for accessibility and presentation; the rest of the website, to put it mildly, has not. Retooling that website will be one of the most significant IT projects of my early Administration.
Strength in Community
We have lost over 250 Alaskans to COVID-19. I will honor them properly and remember the losses of our community and State. My administration will continue to provide mental health support to the Anchorage School District to help our kids recover from this trauma and seek to expand those resources into the broader community.
We need to talk about the pain of the pandemic that we have all endured, honor the memory of Alaskans who we’ve lost, and pay them tribute by coming together to move forward.
WHAT WE’VE DONE:
Worked with the Assembly to receive and distribute $156 million in CARES Act funds to respond to the needs of the community
  • Championed the use of $10 million in CARES Act funds for Child Care Relief with colleagues on the Assembly
  • Worked to Distribute $584,960.83 in Rental Assistance Response Funds to 628 Households
  • Voted to appropriate $10 million in Small Business Stabilization for those businesses impacted by COVID-19
  • Advocated for and voted to appropriate $14 million in Hospitality and Tourism Stabilization Funds
  • Economic Recovery and Development
Downtown Revitalization
Modern, successful cities have thriving downtowns, and Anchorage’s has been neglected for too long. Our downtown should be the premier location in Alaska for live music, great food, convenient shopping, award-winning art, and other forms of entertainment. The benefits of a healthy downtown reverberate throughout an entire community.
To make this vision a reality, my administration will invest in projects to make downtown a safer, cleaner, more walkable and vibrant neighborhood. One crucial component is ensuring that folks actually live downtown, where they can serve as “eyes on the street,” shop at and spur the construction of grocery and drug stores, and build more of a sense of community, even in areas traditionally thought of as purely commercial. That means regulatory changes, incentives, and the cooperation of the Municipality’s property holding entities, including the ACDA, to build housing. It also means working closely with the Anchorage Downtown Partnership, the Downtown Community Council, the AEDC, Visit Anchorage, Bike Anchorage, and other entities, who should be in constant communication, with the Municipality serving as a key convener.
Another common feature of thriving downtowns is a more pedestrian- and bike-friendly physical environment. Getting people out of their cars helps promote locally-owned small businesses, and keeps people out later, in greater numbers, with a sense of shared safety. If we can achieve buy-in from the adjoining businesses, my Administration will seek to transform 4th Avenue and E Street into pedestrian promenades. These have been successful in other cities in increasing spending from foot traffic, and increasing opportunities for markets, outdoor eating, and live music. There are further opportunities for private-public partnerships to develop the empty storefronts into community assets, and places that the Muni can install or encourage bike racks or other bike storage. Additionally, the existing trails, murals, and shops need to be showcased, and through investments in well-designed signage we can lead folks to them. This wayfinding system can also highlight Indigenous places and language, a feature highly desired by our visitor community.
All of these plans will require cooperation with the Downtown merchants themselves, and will be designed to pencil out in dollars-and-cents. Together, we can develop a new color palette for Downtown, as was done with the Mountain View façade revitalization project, with the Municipality covering a percentage of design and providing technical assistance. Anchorage’s downtown is famously beige (“Keep Anchorage beige,” goes the sardonic rallying cry), but efforts are already underway to change this impression, and give it a renewed sense of history and vibrancy.
Anchorage’s downtown should serve both our residents and our visitors. Today, despite the tremendous efforts of a number of businesses and nonprofits, it struggles to serve either adequately. My administration will change that.
Outdoor Economy
There’s no doubt that 2020 was the worst year for the Anchorage visitor industry in modern times. But I believe we are poised for a comeback. I know that there are thousands of businesses and employees eagerly awaiting the 2021 season. Anchorage has historically done a good job of catering to visitors on tour buses and cruise ships, and Alaska as a whole has appealed to those looking for the most extreme outdoor challenges. We should still appeal to both of these groups, and my Administration will partner with tourism businesses to do so. However, we must simultaneously develop the “missing middle” of Anchorage tourism -- the travelers seeking unique but accessible experiences, but who that currently find more options in places like New Zealand, Iceland, or even Colorado.
We know you don’t even have to leave the Municipality to enjoy all that Alaska has to offer, and part of the benefit of visiting Anchorage is being able to flight-see during the day then grab a locally-made beer before calling it a night. By making Anchorage more accessible and appealing, travelers young and old will stay for one more night, which could bring in an additional $137 million in tourist spending. When the Municipality invests in our world-class trail system and close-to-home recreation opportunities, we not only improve the health of our residents, we capitalize on economic opportunity as tourists come to enjoy those resources, too.
Anchorage has 250 miles of trails, 223 parks, and 82 playgrounds throughout the Municipality. We should work with our existing tourism operators to create exciting opportunities to explore both these in-town resources, and the surrounding mountains, waters, and forests. This would give people options for adventure during the day - and then still be able to enjoy the bars, restaurants, and shops when they return. My Administration will target our bond spending towards these types of targeted, high-impact projects. We will furthermore work with our State and Federal partners not only to seek grants and alternative funding sources, but also improve access to State Park lands and Federal Forests for recreation opportunities. Finally, we will re-engage the Parks Commission and resume the “Park Summits” that existed during the Begich Administration, calling together a variety of stakeholders from around the community, and seeing what kind of projects they want to develop, and that our neighborhoods support.
Knowledge Based Economy
The past year has not been easy, but it has shown much of the world that many jobs can be done from anywhere. And if you can work from anywhere, why not live in a place with a spectacular natural setting and a high quality of life? In order to retain and attract these residents, Anchorage must develop thriving and livable neighborhoods with walkable streets, affordable housing, and accessible transportation, as well as fast, affordable broadband and competitive prices for our electricity. We should foster our already burgeoning start-up economy to support the innovative and creative minds of Alaskans already developing successful businesses. Anchorage-based art, code, and products are already being shared nationwide and beyond. The creativity and resilience of our community helps cultivate unique ideas and projects that could only be created here.
My Administration will regularly bring together small business owners to communicate and collaborate, in order to ensure policies that support local development and knowledge are implemented. This includes streamlining our permitting processes, encouraging more community events, and partnering with organizations to train and incubate our entrepreneurs, such as programs housed at our universities (see our Education section). Anchorage’s economy must diversify, and increasingly the world’s wealth is built upon the knowledge economy. We must invest in that economy here and create the jobs of the future.
WHAT WE’VE DONE SO FAR:
  • Proposed the ordinance to stop Easy Park from charging for on street parking on holidays and weekends (AR 2017-94)
  • Served on the board of the Anchorage Parks Foundation
  • Engaged in discussions with the State about developing more public use cabins and a hut-to-hut system in Chugach State Park
  • Passed resolutions in support of restoring the Eklutna River (AR 2017-324)
  • Voted for bonds that invested in parks and trails, particularly trail connectivity and inclusive play
  • Served as the Assembly representative to both the AEDC and the Anchorage Chamber of Commerce
  • Supported the development of the grant funded Anchorage i-team (AR 2017-35)
  • Supported micro-trenching ordinance to promote affordable broadband (AO 2020-83)
  • Supported cell phone tower ordinance to improve service throughout town (AO 2015-142)
  • Helped restart the UAA/APU Assembly Internship Program
  • Education
Anchorage’s future relies on equitable and quality education for our kids. The Municipality needs to think creatively about offering after school programs and tutoring in order to help kids get back on track after the interruptions caused by COVID-19. These interruptions have also highlighted the disparities in our education system. ASD students need to know that their education can be used to build lives and businesses without going out of state to find opportunities. We will work to expand meaningful internship and apprenticeship opportunities with local businesses and within our Municipality. We will also build on the recent investments made by the Assembly in early childhood education; studies show that investing $1 dollar in early childhood education leads to $4-9 dollars in return.
The success of our students also involves the success of their families--this means making sure that their caretakers get the information and support they need. This includes quality, affordable childcare for those who need it, which has been a priority for me since first joining the Assembly.
EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION
When we support families and offer accessible child care, our economy grows. Affordable child care helps working families and their children build a successful future. Preschool costs in Anchorage can often outpace that of college tuition -- that cost is holding back innumerable families from access to these otherwise economically beneficial programs. I worked on the Assembly to put $2 million in alcohol tax funding towards early childhood education, the first significant investment from the Municipality to serve these needs. I also worked with Members Zaletel and Quinn-Davidson to put $15 million childcare subsidies into our CARES Act distribution, an action that kept many providers from closing permanently. We will continue advocating for access to child care programs, and work together with the State to maintain funding for current investments. My administration will partner with the Anchorage School District to expand child care options, Pre-K opportunities, and other opportunities to invest in our young children.
HIGHER EDUCATION
In addition, we cannot neglect the institutions of higher learning within our Municipality. As the son of two University of Alaska graduates who moved to Alaska specifically to attend the school, I understand the powerful impact our universities can have on our community. Today, the field of economic development embraces a concept called “Campus as Catalyst.” That is, most of the thriving cities around the world have at least one large, high-quality university that is closely integrated with local industry and government. My Administration will work to build bridges between the Municipality and both UAA and APU, with regular meetings between staff, and a voice for students in our decision making. We will furthermore use the platform of the Mayor’s Office, working with the Assembly, to highlight and oppose any draconian cuts to UAA.
WHAT WE’VE DONE SO FAR:
  • Continued to fund the Anchorage School District at the maximum amount allowable under State Law
  • Explored shared services at our joint Assembly-School Board Meetings, which benefit both bodies
  • Stood against Governor Dunleavy’s budget cuts to UAA and public education (AR 2019-105 and AR 2019-237)
  • Urged the State to continue reimbursing School Bond Debt
  • Started the Anchorage Assembly Internship Program for UAA and APU students
  • Funded the Municipality’s first significant investments in early childhood education and child abuse prevention in the Alcohol Tax
  • Fought for CARES Act funding for child care grants at $15 million, one of our most significant investments
  • Fiscal Responsibility
INDEPENDENCE FROM UNSTABLE STATE BUDGET
For many years, it has been clear that Anchorage must seek more financial independence from the State. State revenue sharing programs which used to account for as much as 40% of municipal funding have fallen to less than 1%. As the Municipality of Anchorage shoulders these new financial burdens, we must find a balance between providing critical services and keeping rates, fees, and property taxes affordable. Slashing property taxes, promising no cuts to services, and then spending down our savings isn’t leadership, and it isn’t fiscally responsible.
MUNICIPAL BUDGET LEADERSHIP
We will continue to approach our budget challenges in a diligent and comprehensive fashion, working with the professionals at our enterprises and utilities, as well as the industries they support. We will seek ideas and answers from all sides. Internal audits on departments and programs will play a major role, as we continue to evaluate every line-item and contract. My administration will offer additional communications and community engagement surrounding the budget process to ensure our decisions are informed and understood by all residents. Leadership means taking into account the needs and values of the whole community, and taking careful, thoughtful action to minimize negative impacts that come from necessary budget adjustments. Finally, we must continue to diversify our revenue streams away from our heavy reliance on property taxes and maintain the excellent bond rating that keeps the cost of borrowing for the Municipality low.
WHAT WE’VE DONE SO FAR:
  • Deposited the net proceeds from the sale of ML&P into the Municipal Trust
  • Passed fuel tax to off-set property taxes and diversify our income streams
  • Approved targeted cuts to every department except public safety for first three years on the Assembly
  • Passed a balanced budget every year
  • Worked with the School District to find shared services and provide more efficient government
  • Voted to support an audit program that has returned millions to the Municipality in wrongfully-claimed tax exemptions
  • Government Accessibility and Transparency
In my time in public service, community input has helped me develop new ideas, changed my mind, and allowed me to think about problems from different perspectives. This is thanks to the residents who take the time to attend community councils, write emails, call in, or step up to the microphone to share their thoughts. I have seen the tangible benefit that open communication with the public provides. In my administration, I’m committed to making engagement in local government easier.
A simple start is to make the municipal website easier to navigate. At present, while the new COVID-related portions of the site have proved powerful, some of the legacy sections are confusing, opaque, or simply free of useful information. I also recognize that constituents need a better calendar of community meetings in order to fully participate--it’s a very simple step we can make to improve access. Although the coronavirus has limited so much, I plan to continue online events and flexible testimony components in order to increase accessibility for all who wish to participate in meetings.
My Administration will hold more town halls on the municipal budget, listening sessions on important topics, and Q&A sessions so that the public knows where we stand. We will utilize technology to increase information accessibility and communication, and improve reporting tools for things like potholes, abandoned cars, and flagging ADA accessibility issues.
  • Indigenous Placemaking
Anchorage is an Indigenous place. We all reside on the lands of the Dena’ina people, who have stewarded them for thousands of years. We are fortunate to be one of the only cities or Municipalities in Alaska with an Indigenous sovereignty actually within our borders: the Native Village of Eklutna. There are ways to incorporate the history of this land and the culture of Alaska Native peoples to make Anchorage a more vital, deeply-rooted, and innovative community.
TEACHING OUR SHARED HISTORY
Surveys have demonstrated that the #1 thing our visitors ask for is more experiences involving Alaska Native culture; Indigenous placemaking is both the right thing to do and the economically smart thing to do. Anchorage should be a worldwide leader in cultural tourism. By integrating information about Alaska Native culture into our trails and neighborhoods, our residents and visitors can both learn about the history and the continued stewardship of Alaska Native people within the Municipality. When exploring the city, Alaska Native language and art should ground us in our shared story. This not only improves neighborhoods, it makes them safer. For too long, Indigenous people have been made invisible in what is actually Alaska’s “largest village,” and that can lead to members of this community falling through the cracks in Municipal services.
WHAT WE’VE DONE SO FAR:
  • Sponsored and passed the first Indigenous naming ordinance in Anchorage’s history, so that so Dena’ina names must be considered (AO 2017-98)
  • Co-sponsored resolution calling for the restoration of the Eklutna River (AR 2017-234)
  • Led process to name Chanshtnu Muldoon Park (AR 2016-284 and AR 2017-234)
  • Co-sponsored resolution recognizing the sovereignty of the Eklutna Tribe and to establish formal government-to-government relations (AR 2019-426)
  • As Chair of the Public Safety Committee, held the first hearing in Anchorage’s history on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls
  • Infrastructure and Transportation Development
A well-connected city, with multiple ways of getting around, is both a more livable city and one better positioned for economic success. More and safer bike lanes, better-connected trails, safer pedestrian crossings, more public transit options, and well-designed traffic calming are all necessary if we are to create a transportation system built around people and neighborhoods, not just cars.
Folks who don’t have personal vehicles, or perhaps don’t want to use them at that moment, should be able to access their doctor’s appointments, late shifts, college classes, and happy hours without having to worry. And our merchants should be able to take advantage of that additional activity and commerce! This summer, many residents enjoyed ‘Biking the Moose,’ doing “Bird to Gird,” and otherwise exploring the Municipality on two wheels. Many also utilized bikes to make vital trips around town, and we need to make sure our roads have safe lanes for non-car travel to reduce injuries and fatalities.
Our trails offer unique transportation options other Municipalities cannot compete with. By strengthening our Parks Department to do more, particularly focused on trail connectivity, we can offer a unique way to explore the city to both residents and tourists. I hope to see a future where everyone has many options to get to work, whether it be by car, bus, bike, foot, or ski. Diversifying our transportation options will make Anchorage a more pleasant place to live for those already here and a more attractive destination for those considering a move from elsewhere; it can be a real selling point for our community.
Port of Alaska
There is no single infrastructure project in Anchorage more crucial to our future than the Port of Alaska. Although major mistakes in construction and design in the late 1990’s and early 2000’s have caused our community tremendous harm, the Port nevertheless handles fuel and freight that reaches 90% of Alaska’s population; it must be repaired and modernized. My Administration will work closely with the Port User Group, JBER, the State, the federal delegation, and other stakeholders in order to build and rebuild a Port that will last long into the future. Communication is the key, and breakdowns in communication and expectations have hampered this project in recent years. Only by modernizing the Port can we maintain Anchorage’s position as an economic hub for the State, while providing a critical lifeline for goods in times of disaster and emergency. As part of this project, we must continue our litigation strategy that has recovered millions from those responsible for the early-2000’s debacle.
The full opportunity to export value-added goods from Anchorage to other markets has not been fully explored, and I look forward to helping develop a small business community that can capitalize on the opportunities which come from a reliable, thriving Port.
Renewable Energy and Reducing Energy Costs
Sustainability and energy efficiency have been priorities of the outgoing Administration, and they will continue to be in mine. Energy costs are a burden for many Anchorage residents, and can prevent large-scale investment by commercial and industrial businesses in our community. By diversifying our energy sources and converting to more modern technologies, we can increase our energy independence and lower costs.
OPPORTUNITY FOR INVESTMENT
There are ample opportunities for solar, wind, and hydro energy production across the Municipality, and perhaps less traditional sources like tidal and in-pipe hydro in water and wastewater as well. Even without new energy sources, there are significant savings to be had simply by upgrading things like insulation and lighting in Municipal buildings.
My administration will seek comprehensive energy audits for Municipal facilities, a continuation of the existing Intra-Admin Resiliency Task Force, and the further creation of an Environmental Equity Council to work on the issue of environmental inequalities. The technology and community knowledge exists to save money for ourselves, our residents, and our businesses, while simultaneously lowering our greenhouse gases and other forms of environmental impact. Anchorage can lead the way as a truly great, resilient northern city.
WHAT WE’VE DONE SO FAR:
  • Co-sponsored transit-supported corridors development ordinance (AO 2020-103)
  • Co-sponsored a resolution urging Congress to increase investment in active transportation (AR 2020-42)
  • Supported multiple bond measures for trails, pedestrian facilities, better drainage, traffic calming, and complete streets
  • Hosted a community townhall on and fought for additional funding for snow removal
  • Co-sponsored resolution urging state to put the Port on a State General Obligation Bond
  • Supported construction of the Petroleum-Cement Terminal
  • Currently working with the Port leadership, the Assembly Utility Committee, and the Port Users on finance mechanism for the cargo terminal
  • Supported bonds and grants encouraging conversion to LED lighting along trails, in parks, at Municipal buildings, and within utilities and enterprises
  • Passed the Anchorage Climate Action Plan
  • Passed ordinances leading to the consolidation of Chugach Electric and ML&P to find efficiencies (AR 2017-235)
  • Supported experimenting with electric buses at Transit and the purchase of electric garbage trucks at Solid Waste Services with the assistance of federal grants
  • Public Health and Safety
Public safety and public health are prerequisites for quality of life in our community. For many years, Anchorage has struggled with high levels of domestic violence, alcohol and substance misuse, generational trauma, untreated mental illness, and homelessness. Although many of these problems were exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, there are real reasons for optimism on the horizon if we can adapt, use best practices developed in other parts of the country, and spend our hard-earned funds wisely.
INVESTING IN SOLUTIONS
In 2020, the people of Anchorage passed an alcohol tax and dedicated the revenues to address many of the underlying causes of homelessness and crime in our community. At the same time, we are starting to see the pay-off of years-long investments in the police department, which recently stood up a cold-case unit and has far more resources to address theft and violent crimes than when I first joined the Assembly. We are also seeing new private-partner resources dedicated to supportive housing, pay-for-success, and other programs designed to promote stabilization and wellness.
MENTAL HEALTH AND SUBSTANCE USE TREATMENT
Many of our public health and safety challenges are directly related to mental health and substance abuse, which are often, but not always, co-occurring. The Municipality must take a more active role in addressing these issues and be a more active partner with the State, which has traditionally run most programs. We have heard horror stories of police officers sitting in their cruisers in the Providence parking lot with a person going through crisis in their backseat and nowhere to take them. Our police leadership has made clear that they see treatment and mental health stabilization as key to ending the revolving door seen on our streets.
We should seek additional federal, private, and Mental Health Trust dollars to build sustainable mental health and treatment infrastructure, including a “23-Hour Crisis” short-term stabilization center to complement Anchorage’s incoming Mental Health First Responders program. We must also responsibly deploy the $15 million for treatment mandated by the Regulatory Commission of Alaska in the sale of ML&P and design the program in such a way that it can utilize Medicaid funds to be sustainable. Finally, to accomplish these goals, we need to restructure the Health Department, which is now a “catch all” that is strained beyond its resources. All of these things are possible, and indeed we are poised to make real change in the coming months and years.
WHAT WE’VE DONE SO FAR:
  • Funded and maintained both the police and fire departments in order to keep the city safe
  • Funded police academies every year on the Assembly, increasing our sworn staff by nearly 100 officers
  • Funded increases in non-sworn staff at APD, like evidence technicians and dispatchers
  • Funded Mental Health First Responders
  • Funded multiple fire academies, as well as smart investments in ambulances, emergency medical technology, and fire apparatuses
  • Supported the lease of the new police headquarters downtown (AO 2018-84)
  • Co-sponsor of the ordinance to prohibit consumer products containing harmful flame retardant chemicals, with support of Fire Department leadership (AO 2019-15)
  • Resolution to support HB 182 and urge for the immediate processing on the backlog of sexual assault testing kits (AR 2020-87)
  • Voted for a needle exchange program at the 4A’s to help reduce spread of infectious disease and step in the direction of addressing the opioid crisis
  • Co-sponsored and passed alcohol tax dedicated to child abuse and domestic violence prevention, first responders, treatment, and programs to address homelessness (AO 2019-48)
  • Sponsored Anchorage’s first ordinance to ban the sale of certain invasive species (prunus padus AKA bird cherries) (AO 2017-101)
  • Welcoming Anchorage
One of Anchorage’s core strengths is our diversity. Regardless of religion, race, national background, gender identity, age, disability, culture, or rural/urban background, the Municipality is your community. But inequality and inequity are still present in the everyday lives of many of our residents. While we have made great strides in the past several decades, there is still more work to be done.
Equity needs to be considered in everything the Municipality does. This starts with the most basic public services such as clearing off sidewalks in the winter, offering translations of forms/notices, and making sure all public buildings are ADA accessible. These simple changes build an inclusive foundation for our future. The diversity of Anchorage needs to be celebrated beyond just Pride and Juneteenth. This means upholding the non-discrimination policies supported by voters and expanding protections where needed.
My Administration will have the Municipal Office of Equity and Justice convene conversations and seek solutions to the problems of inaccessibility and discrimination that limit the success of our community. By investing in language access, we expand our small business communities and improve our education system. We will continue to make playgrounds and trails accessible and safe, and will invest in more assets to encourage healthy communities. Our parks and trails have allowed many Anchorage residents to maintain their health during the coronavirus crisis, and by continuing our commitment to these resources we will be investing in wellness for current and future residents at low or no cost to the users. Investments in equity pay for themselves when community members can be successful and healthy.
OFFERING EQUAL OPPORUNITY
We will also expand efforts to recruit and retain Municipal employees from underrepresented backgrounds. There is a tremendous amount of untapped talent and ability in our community, but it takes sustained investment in outreach, education, and internal reforms in order to present new career paths to youth who have never been made aware of the opportunities, or adults who have been systematically excluded from hiring or promotion in the past. These changes will take determined, sustained leadership from the Mayor’s Office.
My Administration will also commit to communicating more extensively with our rural partners to ensure that Anchorage is a safe and more easily-navigable hub for Rural Alaskans. Growing up in Rural Alaska, I was always excited to come to Anchorage; I want to recapture some of that excitement for folks, and the sense that we are all Alaskans looking out for each other.
WHAT WE’VE DONE SO FAR:
  • Co-sponsored ordinance that became Ballot Measure 12 which added a twelfth Assembly Member to give equal representation to Downtown, Fairview, and Mountain View on the Assembly
  • Supports Anchorage Pride, Juneteenth
  • Publicly opposed and volunteered against the ballot initiative designed to repeal nondiscrimination ordinance
  • Supported the creation of the Chief Equity Officer position
  • Voted to prevent conversion therapy (AO 2020-65)
  • Voted to recognize and celebrate individual rights of freedom of religion (AR 2016-356)
  • Voted for Inclusive playgrounds (AR 2016-353) and advocated for them on the Anchorage Park Foundation board
  • Established a sex-based harassment policy for the Assembly Department (AR 2018-392)
  • Helped found the Muldoon Farmers Market, which partners with many refugee farmers[32]
 ”
—Forrest Dunbar's campaign website (2021)[34]


Independent Bill Evans

Campaign website

Evans’ campaign website stated the following:

“
  • Homelessness
It is important when discussing the problem of “homelessness” in Anchorage to recognize that it is not a singular problem. It is, in fact, a cluster of both social and economic problems loosely linked by their impact on the ability of individuals to maintain safe, reliable, and appropriate shelter. This cluster of problems includes but is not limited to: mental and behavioral health issues, substance abuse and addiction, physical health care issues, unemployment, insufficient wages, lack of affordable housing, domestic violence, and dislocation from a home community.
It is also important to understand that the individuals who are experiencing homelessness at any given time are not monolithic. They arrive in a situation of homelessness from various avenues and experience homelessness in a wide variety of ways and for significantly different durations. For many, homelessness is transitory and of mercifully short duration. For others, it is episodic and involves a life lived on the razor’s edge of falling into and rising out of homelessness. For still others, homelessness is persistent and long-term.
Because of the myriad causes of homelessness and the diversity of those experiencing homelessness, it is essential that we recognize that improving the homelessness situation requires a panoply of responses and efforts. For instance, adding greater substance abuse treatment capacity will not solve the problem of homelessness – it will help – but only to a certain degree. Similarly, adding affordable housing will help, but will not, in and of itself, end homelessness. Tackling homelessness requires a diligent and sustained effort on several fronts.
It is also important to recognize that the issue of “homelessness” encompasses two different, yet related, aspects. I refer to them as the “private” and “public” aspects of homelessness. The private aspect is the “individual” human toll and suffering resulting from issues such as addiction, substance abuse, mental illness, medical crises, abuse, income disruption or simply bad luck and/or poor choices. This private aspect refers to the actual individuals who are experiencing homelessness. Addressing the private aspect of homelessness requires various treatments, a wide range of social and medical services, and importantly, an actual desire on the part of the person involved to receive and accept available treatment and services. Not surprising, most discussions of “homelessness” focus on these issues.
There is, however, a public aspect of the homelessness problem that should be a significant focus of any government responsible for the overall well-being of the community. This public aspect of homelessness includes: the omnipresent spectacle of panhandlers on many major street corners; unsafe, unhealthy and deleterious behaviors taking place in broad daylight throughout the municipality; the dangerous and unseemly presence of multiple homeless camps on, or adjacent to, trails and public spaces; the growing threat of wildfires sparked by woods-dwelling encampments; the burden placed on both police and fire services in responding to a disproportionate number of calls for service, and finally, the not-insignificant economic, emotional and resource cost borne by the citizens and businesses of the Municipality.
Focusing on the public aspect of the homeless problem does not mean turning the Municipality’s back on the individuals who are suffering. In fact, addressing the public aspects of the homeless problem is necessary in order to improve the economic health of the Municipality and thereby increasing the ability of the Municipality to provide more resources and services. Declining cities are unable to tackle complicated and expensive social problems. Accordingly, a threshold step in addressing the problem of homelessness must be to guard and increase the economic well-being of the community at large.
The following steps do not purport to provide a silver-bullet “fix” to the homelessness problems facing Anchorage. They are, however, sensible steps that should be undertaken as part of any strategy to improve the problem of homelessness in our community.
1. Storage Facility for Property – For many years the city has been engaged in an ongoing struggle with homeless camps. A chief problem we face in dealing with these makeshift camps is the prohibition on destroying the “property” of the persons in the homeless camp without due process. Because of this the Municipality is required to provide notice to the residents of the camps before it dismantles and eliminates their property. This has the sadly comic effect of “tagging” homeless camps for removal, watching them stay in place for several more days, and then moving to another location not far away where they are essentially a new camp and the process must begin again. Because of this we have fallen into a pattern of not cleaning up homeless camps, but instead of cleaning up “after” homeless camps.
This ineffectual dance can be eliminated or at least significantly reduced if the Municipality had an adequate storage facility where it could store, safeguard and protect the property taken from camps until such time that the property could be legally disposed of, or retrieved by its owners. This would allow for immediate dismantling of camps – a step that would make a dramatic difference in the number of camps around town and would further incentivize the camp-dwellers to seek approved shelter where other needed services can be offered.
2. Prioritizing Temporary Shelter Over Housing First – Another legal requirement facing the Municipality is that in order to prevent persons from sleeping on sidewalks and public places, the Municipality must be able to demonstrate it has sufficient capacity in shelters for each homeless person.
While “housing first” has proven to show good results in some locations, it is also a costly model on a per-person basis (as compared to temporary shelter space). At present, and with limited resources, Anchorage should first ensure that its resources are devoted to ensuring that it increases its capacity for temporary shelter. The primary benefits of this approach are that: (1) it ensures that all who need “shelter” have a place to go where services can be accessed; and (2) it opens the door, legally, for the Municipality to take other measures to protect public property and prevent the deterioration of the community health and standards.
3. Vigorously Enforce Restrictions on Streetside giving to Panhandlers – One of the more visible problems associated with homelessness is the ubiquitous presence of panhandlers on many intersections throughout Anchorage. While the act of non-aggressive panhandling is protected by law, there are certain lawful restrictions on motorists giving to panhandlers. The Municipality must robustly enforce these existing laws and thereby alter the economic model that makes panhandling a desirable option.
4. Vigorously Enforce Existing Laws Regarding Public Drunkenness and other Nuisance Laws – Many of the panhandlers working throughout town are often engaged in other behaviors that are unlawful. The Municipality must robustly enforce these existing laws to reduce anti-social activities too often associated with panhandling. This is not criminalizing homelessness or poverty. It is simply ending the practice of homelessness equating to a free pass to engage in activities which are illegal and harmful to the public. Arresting persons for violating enforceable laws will not solve the homelessness problem, but it will tend to keep the problems associated with homelessness within a framework of acceptable behaviors.
5. Increase Detox Beds and Substance Abuse Treatment Facilities – There is no escaping the fact that a substantial majority of homeless people suffer from substance abuse addictions and/or mental illness. You cannot effectively impact the problem of homelessness without increasing detox and treatment facilities. The Municipality has limited ability to unilaterally fund sufficient treatment facilities. It must, however, do as much as it can on its own and then work diligently and cooperatively with both State and Federal agencies to obtain added resources. It is imperative that we reach a situation in which any homeless person seeking assistance for substance addiction can receive it. Many will not seek such assistance, but we must be able to respond promptly and sufficiently to those who do.
6. Increase Mental Health Facilities – It is no secret that the deinstitutionalization of state-run mental health facilities and the movement toward community-based mental health treatment has left many gaps in the mental health safety net. Community mental health centers are chronically underfunded and are too small to fully meet the needs of the communities they serve. It is important that Anchorage work with the State, the Mental Health Trust Authority and the Federal government to create a more comprehensive, more accessible, and usable mental health system. This benefits not only the homelessness problem, but myriad other social problems that vex our community.
  • Crime
The level of crime in Anchorage is unacceptable. In a short span of time, Anchorage has gone from a city most residents believed was relatively safe to a city in which hardly any citizen has not been directly impacted by crime in some manner. Working to reduce the incidence of crime must be at the top of the next Mayor’s list of priorities.
We must, however, face reality. Politicians have limited ability to quickly counteract crime waves. There are no magic bullets or quick solutions. Fighting back a crime wave requires relentless and unwavering effort over a prolonged period. The societal factors that lead to increased crime are interrelated and multifaceted. So, too, are the approaches which must be put in place in order to measurably reduce crime.
The threshold pieces that must be in place are well-known: (1) a sufficient number of sworn police officers; (2) the proper strategic use and deployment of police resources; and (3) proper Municipal laws in place to serve as an effective deterrent.
As a starting point we must have enough sworn police officers in order to ensure acceptable response times and the ability for pro-active police patrolling. The Police Executive Resource Forum (“PERF”) study that spanned 2010-2016 (completed before our most alarming increase in crime rates) recommended that Anchorage have 447 sworn officers. That figure should serve as our goal.
But just having the right number of sworn officers is not an end in itself. The use and deployment of those officers must be strategically planned to achieve a noticeable and sustainable reduction in crime. This requires flexibility and constant evaluation and reevaluation by both the police department management and the Mayor’s office. If the use and deployment of our police resources is not achieving the desired goal of significantly reducing crime, we cannot be too stubborn, too complacent or too timid to adjust our approach. We must be constantly assessing, reassessing and readjusting our allocation of assets until we see unmistakable progress being made.
Although most serious crimes in Anchorage are charged under State law, Municipal Code can play an important role in providing enforcement tools for law enforcement. Accordingly, the next Mayor needs to work with the Municipal Law Department to ensure that the Municipal Code provides for sufficient, just, and well-thought-out enforcement tools for those crimes which can be charged under the Municipal Code. I believe my personal background as a former police officer and an attorney will be a decided asset in working alongside the police department and the municipal law department in meeting these goals.
  • Economic Development
Private sector business drives the economy. It creates wealth. Without a vibrant private sector economy any city will struggle. With a vibrant private sector economy any city has the potential to succeed.
The goal of any Municipal administration should be to create conditions that attract private sector investment and produce an environment in which business’ thrive. In the 21st century investment capital is extremely mobile. The handicap of distance is not nearly as burdensome an impediment to Anchorage as it has been in the past. At the same time, however, attracting capital investment is more competitive than ever. Anchorage must create an environment that attracts investment.
Fortunately, we start with a world-class advantage. Anchorage is an amazing location. Breathtaking wilderness is little more than a walk from most places in Anchorage. Our natural advantages, however, are not enough. We must ensure that other non-natural factors are also in place if we expect Anchorage to be a location where businesses seek to invest. First, we have to have a safe city. Second, we need a city with excellent schools. (It should be noted that having excellent schools is not co-equal with a large education budget. Persons considering investment in a community want to ensure that educational outcomes are excellent. Spending a lot of money on less than stellar academic results is a detriment to attracting investment. Accordingly, we must focus on results, not on specific budget amounts, in determining whether we are providing an attractive environment for investment). Third, we must ensure our world-class trails and public spaces are not diminished by homeless camps and their detritus.
We must ensure that our government and civic organizations whose missions are economic development are producing results. Economic development is not simply a wish list for our future, but a plan and a real expectation.
We must ensure that our municipal planning department and the codes they enforce are not an unreasonable detriment to investment. More than one mayor has attempted to streamline the building process with somewhat limited results. This effort must be maintained until we can feel confident that our system is both as efficient and as safe as possible.
Finally, we must work diligently with our state representatives to ensure we have the tools available to provide meaningful tax deferral and abatement when necessary to attract needed business investment. Anchorage must be able to compete with other locations to attract much needed capital. Related to this, we must ensure our method for funding community infrastructure is not an impediment to development and growth. If we maintain an unrelenting commitment to creating a climate attractive to private sector investment, we will succeed, even in trying economic times.
  • Municipal Budget
Too often the focus of municipal budget discussions is strictly binary; “Is the budget too big?” “too small?” The most important question that we should be asking, however, is whether the municipal budget, at whatever size, is being used effectively. Poor services are overpriced at any amount. Too often, government officials, feeling pressured to reduce budget numbers, achieve that end by simply sacrificing the quality of government services and end up charging their citizens too much for an inferior product. In effect, government ends up doing many things inadequately, incompletely or incompetently. The key to effective leadership is differentiating between necessary spending that promotes value and wasteful spending that does little more than maintain an unsatisfactory and diminishing quality of civic life.
At the philosophical level, it is important that government officials treat “tax money” as a sacred trust. Too often government officials operate in a manner that, provides the impression that they are careless in their spending of “other people’s money.” In reality, government officials need to make it clear that they treat “other people’s money” more carefully than they treat their own money. Regardless of the size of the budget, this principle must be paramount.
At the practical level, it is important to recognize that approximately 80% of the municipal budget is collectively bargained labor costs. Accordingly, effective collective bargaining is essential in order to effectively manage the budget. Having spent my career as a management side labor lawyer, I am very experienced in what is required to be successful in this critical aspect of budget control.[32]
 ”
—Bill Evans' campaign website (2021)[35]


Independent Bill Falsey

Campaign website

Falsey’s campaign website stated the following:

“
  • Champion the Post-COVID Economic Recovery
The COVID pandemic will look very different by the time the new mayor takes office in July 2021. But Anchorage will still be dealing with the economic fallout. After more than a year of high unemployment, low oil prices, a challenging state fiscal climate, traumatic restaurant and small-business closures, and a new work-from-home culture that will permanently change the commercial real-estate market, targeted support will be critical to getting our economy back to full strength, and preventing a hollowing out of downtown. We’ll encourage new development, a more vibrant downtown, and position Anchorage to thrive: in a post-COVID, Zoom-capable world, Anchorage’s comparative advantage is—as the world has increasingly discovered—that we’re community where workers and families want to be. Playing to our strengths as a headquarters city and a hub for tourism, we’ll remain the vibrant place we know and love—a city of unrivaled community, beauty and opportunity.
  • Complete the Port of Alaska Rebuild
The Port of Alaska is a critical economic and national security lifeline. Much of what we eat, buy and wear, the vast majority of the cement used in Alaska’s construction projects, half of the jet fuel used at Ted Stevens International Airport, and substantially all of the fuel used by JBER comes across its docks. Replacement of the first facility is well underway – on time and on budget. But the work is not finished—and we’re racing against the clock. The main docks are over 50-years old, and are failing. To keep Alaska safe and in business, we can’t stop making progress—this one has to get done. I’ve worked intently over the past several years to get the Port rebuild underway; I know the ins and outs of the Port, and its stability and longevity are a top priority for me.
  • Expand Pre-K and Early Childhood Education
More resources need to go to early childhood education, easing the burden on working parents and leveling the playing field for all children from the very beginning. The hard numbers show pre-K makes good economic sense. Study after study show the long-term benefits: positive brain development in a child’s early years means a child is more likely to succeed in school, find steady, meaningful employment, enjoy better health, and stay out of the prison system. By not investing in our youngest, we’re 'saving ourselves poor.'
Quality childcare exists in Anchorage, but it’s wildly expensive. Because our university system is subsidized, it can cost more to send a 3-year old to preschool than it does to send a young adult to UAA. We’re still running a system that, for most families, all but forces one parent to drop out of the workforce.
An obvious place to start? The Anchorage School District currently uses federal funds to run pre-K programs in areas that are more socioeconomically challenged and where schools offer free or reduced lunches. About 700 kids are on the waitlist. We can get them into the classroom.
  • Preserve Our Public Safety Gains
Public safety is the first responsibility of local government. As municipal manager, I strongly supported the Anchorage Police and Fire Departments. I worked to restore law enforcement to the Seward Highway, and to Girdwood, after the Alaska State Troopers left the municipality. I helped move the Police Department back downtown and supported commonsense, customer-service improvements—equipping officers with cell phones and turning on 311. I helped establish new ambulance service for the Anchorage Fire Department—which fights 900 fires a year, but which annually responds to 24,000 emergency medical calls—and outfitted the department with state-of-the-art EMS equipment and maximally COVID-protective PPE. As municipal attorney, when the city saw spikes in “spice” consumption and joyriding cases, we adopted innovative new local laws to combat each—and saw results: spice cases and vehicle thefts dropped significantly, and have continued to fall, year over year. As mayor, I'll continue to strongly support our first responders, and preserve our public safety gains.
  • Comprehensively Address Homelessness
Homelessness is a highly visible and growing problem.
In Anchorage, homelessness should be brief, one-time and rare—and no one should be sleeping on our street corners or in our greenbelts.
After years of largely leaving the issue to our local non-profit and religious organizations to solve, homelessness in the Municipality is now off the charts—we have nearly 400 people living in the Sullivan Arena; another nearly 50 in the Fairview Recreation Center; and more than 100 in other settings around town.
We need a comprehensive solution—one that reduces the inflow of people into homelessness; involves a safe and appropriately sized shelter system; a rapid, more effective camp-abatement program that connects people to services; and housing-first investments that get folks up and on their feet again.
  • Build More Affordable Housing
Anchorage needs better quality, more affordable housing. We should incentivize both new construction and rehabilitation of our existing housing stock. Growth in affordable housing must be targeted and smart, with revitalized neighborhoods that are walkable and connect residents to transit and workplaces.
  • Make Smart Energy Investments
Adding solar power to Anchorage’s energy mix can save taxpayer dollars, makes critical services more resilient, and boosts energy security for all by conserving local natural gas.
Solar panels have made Fire Station 10 in Bear Valley completely self-sufficient for several hours a day. If the station loses power, rooftop solar will keep the backup generators running longer, ensuring that the station can function in an emergency. We’ve also installed the state’s largest rooftop solar array at the Egan Center downtown. The city has many more rooftops with the potential to host solar. We’ll find the projects that make sense and get them done.
  • Strengthen Our Mental Health Response
Working with community partners, Anchorage has been laying the groundwork to deploy a crisis-intervention team to take the place of law enforcement when responding to individuals in mental-health crisis. Anchorage Police are highly effective at protecting our community, but responding to non-violent individuals in crisis shouldn't be their job. Anchorage needs to join communities across the nation by investing smarter, not just more, in public safety and community health.
  • Invest In – and Market – Our Signature, World-Class Parks and Trails
We can improve quality of life for Anchorage residents and drive tourism dollars to our community by focusing on one of our city’s best features—our world-class parks and trails.
Anchorage’s trails connect our city, ease traffic congestion, and keep our minds and bodies healthy all year long. They’re a key part of what makes Anchorage a great place to live, work and play. Investments to ensure that our parks and trails remain clean, safe, and welcoming are critical.
With creative marketing, our parks and trails should also become signature attractions, unlocking additional tourism dollars by encouraging visitors to Alaska to stay an extra day or two in Anchorage.
Maintaining and spotlighting one of Anchorage’s best assets is an easy win to improve the mental, physical, and economic health of our community.
  • Partner with Our Local Universities, UAA and APU
All thriving cities in America have at least one world-class university. We should foster greater innovation and stronger alliances between UAA, APU, and our city government.
UAA has been a key part of Anchorage’s COVID response. Our new and continuing partnerships with UAA are helping the municipality make smarter, better decisions. And the data we’re sharing with UAA is opening new research frontiers, while expanding opportunities for students.
Creating a permanent and more formal research and policy relationship with our local universities is an all-around win.
  • Maintain Balanced Budgets and Anchorage’s AAA Bond Rating
Smart financial-reserve policies and balanced budgets have earned Anchorage a AAA bond rating from Standard and Poor’s, and a AA+ rating from Fitch. Those ratings allow Anchorage to finance capital projects at the lowest possible rates—saving taxpayers money and making each tax dollar go further.
As mayor, I’ll insist on responsible budgeting and maintaining fiscal discipline.[32]
 ”
—Bill Falsey’s campaign website (2021)[36]


Independent George Martinez

Campaign website

Martinez’s campaign website stated the following:

“
  • Rebounding the Economy
Anchorage is one of the most diverse cities in the country, and with this diversity comes an inherent economic power. George is focused on resetting the city’s economic engine through innovation, education, infrastructure, and tourism to build a stronger, more prosperous, and inclusive economy with employment and business opportunities that support improving the quality of life for individuals and families.
I- Open for Business
  • Reducing barriers and red-tape for businesses to open and stay in Anchorage.
  • Helping local businesses pivot forward through digital adaptation and value-added growth.
  • Unleashing community entrepreneurs to help tackle some of the city’s challenges.
  • Creation of a robust Disadvantaged Business Enterprise program to stimulate increased economic diversity through procurement.
II- Ready to Build – Getting to Yes, Responsibly and Efficiently
  • Activating federal Opportunity Zones to create master development corridors to drive new investments. (East Downtown Corridor)
  • Incentivize development (and redevelopment*) to increase mixed-use and affordable housing units to eliminate blight and foster more attractive, high-performing, land-conserving, and durable development.
  • Leverage the Port of Alaska and Ted Stevens International Airport capital construction projects to stimulate hundreds of local jobs as a full-service hub city.
  • Reorganize the Office of Economic and Community Development, streamlining the permitting and review processes to stimulate development. Increase uniformity of decisions to encourage confidence.
  • Developing new business improvement districts to support neighborhood economies.
III- Destination Anchorage – For Us and Our Visitors
  • A vibrant, safe, clean, colorful, and cultural downtown for every resident and visitor to enjoy.
  • Foster culturally relevant placemaking and strengthen the arts and culture sector to enhance the visitor experience.
  • Continuing investments in parks and trails. Increase public-private partnerships for localized maintenance.
  • Bring regular and reliable public transportation service that will help us grow our economy and keep our city safe, connected and working.
  • Focus on pedestrian and non-motorized vehicle safety.
  • Enhance public art mapping programs to leverage the millions of dollars of art assets in new ways.
  • Collaborate on innovative models for seasonal festivals and marketplaces throughout the municipality.
IV- Creative Economy and Innovation Industries
  • Open Anchorage for investments into our high-speed internet/ remote working infrastructure.
  • The development of local added-value processing, assembly, and light manufacturing will create hundreds of jobs and increase our resilience.
  • Recognizing the arts, culture, and creative economies as a vital pillar of the city’s economic engine – Launch Make Anchorage.
  • Commitment to the development of the UMED Innovation District and the East Downtown Design District.
  • Nurturing emerging high-tech sectors, positioning the city as a research hub for northern applications. e.g., advanced aviation (National Laboratories and Space Command).
V- Workforce Development
  • Help get people back to work with expanding the job shops program for up-skilling and cross-sector skill acquisition.
  • Launch the City LAB (Local Apprenticeship Business) Initiative, which will raise graduation rates and prepare the workforce we need by turning business and cultural institutions across Anchorage into extended hands-on learning classrooms that support career and technical education, workforce readiness, and adult back to work programs.
  • Develop a “Daily Dignity Jobs” program to match underemployed, reentering, or unhoused individuals with labor opportunities and wrap-around services, including education.
  • Create a local credentialing mechanism with UAA, post-secondary vocational schools, and labor unions to eliminate talent/brain waste of skilled and internationally credentialed residents.
VI- Regional Development
  • Anchorage is the region’s economic engine, and the stronger we are, the better the region will be.
  • Regularly convene regional leaders to align economic growth and public transportation needs.
  • Build the foundation for regional public transportation infrastructure by using federal transportation and infrastructure resources, including local Opportunity Zones activation.
  • Develop regional food security plans and leverage local farming initiatives and food processing opportunities.
VII – Attract New Global Investments
  • Already known as the “crossroads” of the world, Anchorage has one of the busiest international and freight airports globally and boasts thousands of visitors annually. It is also the home of America’s most diverse neighborhood and the most diverse high schools in the nation in a school district where over 100 languages are spoken. Anchorage is a unique global city in need of leadership that can harness all of the diversity our community has to offer, strengthening our economic and civic foundation while connecting us to global markets and new economic opportunities.
  • Support year-round world-class arts, music, and cultural festivals and gatherings.
  • Bring professional and other high-level sports/ activities to Anchorage during the off-seasons.
  • Reconvene the Anchorage Olympic committee to explore new opportunities to bring the games here.
  • Reposition Anchorage as an innovation city to drive northern research and high-tech development opportunities.
  • Responsible Government
George believes that the Municipality of Anchorage must deliver high-quality public services for all people in every neighborhood; work hard to create economic opportunities for residents and businesses; prioritize community participation and inclusion for all, and make policies and decisions that create a stimulating and enjoyable life for residents while limiting the growth of unnecessary government bureaucracy.
I- Accountable and Efficient
  • Practice fiscal responsibility, operating within our means, and rejecting unfunded mandates.
  • Maintain the highest levels of core function delivery and operational transparency.
  • Continue to reduce redundancies between the Municipality and the ASD to save millions.
  • Work to diversify municipal revenue streams to maintain a high bond rating and reduce pressure on property taxes.
II – Accessible and Inclusive
  • Prioritize a culture of accessibility, equity, diversity, and inclusion across all municipal departments.
  • Focus on intergenerational development and staff a senior liaison within the Mayor’s office.
  • Remove barriers for inclusive participation in boards and commissions.
  • Ensure that every public facility and public service will be user-friendly to meet our community’s diverse needs.
  • Refocus on a reliable public transportation system, which is critical for economic and community development.
III – Innovative and Forward Thinking
  • Develop an innovation infrastructure across all departments and divisions to constantly improve municipal services’ quality and efficiency.
  • Foster collaborative opportunities to reduce silos and increase cost-effective alignments.
  • Identify and align redevelopment opportunities incorporating incentives such as alternative taxation structures and financing to stimulate the growth we need.
  • Continue strengthening the resilience of the municipality through the practical implementation of the UAA led climate action plan.
  • Increase government to governmental relations with the Alaskan Native community.
  • Rebuilding Education – Cradle to Career and Beyond
George believes that education is the key to success. Anchorage must become a life long learning city that fosters cradle to career and beyond advancement. We can rebuild Anchorage’s education system to serve our needs today while driving us forward as the northern hub of innovation through the strategic alignment of education and community resources.
I- Prioritize Early Childhood Investments
  • Jumpstart early childhood education and “promise” programs, including pre-k networks, leverage a 420 sales tax plan.
  • Strengthen the Healthy Babies Bright Future program, which reduces dangerous neurotoxins that cause harm brain development in small children.
  • Increase opportunities for childcare/ learning support to empower parents to return to work.
  • Develop a long term funding plan using a portion of the proceeds from the sale of ML&P and innovative tools like social impact bonding.
II- Focus on Student Success
  • The City LAB (Local Apprenticeship Business) Initiative will raise graduation rates and prepare the workforce we need by turning business across Anchorage into extended hands-on learning classrooms that support career and technical education, workforce readiness, and adult back to work programs.
  • Expand student workforce programs like the Youth Employment in Parks and Mayors AmeriCorps Program to provide youth with valuable experience and meaningful employment.
  • Develop a neighborhood-based youth volunteer service corps to inspire stewardship and peer to peer support. (Youth Rangers)
  • Address systemic inequity that undermines individual opportunity and our overall economic growth.
  • Support the redevelopment of the community schools model to expand learning opportunities outside of the traditional classroom.
III – University Integration
  • Increase UAA’s presence/ visibility downtown – the quality of life/civic pride – Anchor tenant relationship – create much tighter connections by leveraging events.
  • The knowledge economy is driven by the interplay between universities, private sector firms, entrepreneurs, and independent inventors – seeking to create more virtuous cycles of innovation leading to business launches and workforce development opportunities.
  • Public Policy – Research & Development – seek to connect better the work of UAA with private, public, and non-profit sector entities – investing or identifying external funding to advance strategic connections. Explore co-curricular opportunities where students or faculty can take on public policy or innovative idea generation efforts—white paper production.
  • Integrate the City LAB – Integrate UAA students in “capstone or passion projects” to support the local government or non-profit needs with business analyses. Find ways to involve cross-disciplinary teams in civic hacking efforts to try and bring tech or other solutions to civic challenges.
  • Shared Services of business operations – seeking an improved economy of scale, increase effectiveness and efficiency in operations. ::*Seeking to share benefits, reduce or avoid costs, improve service delivery or maintain services.
IV- Helping People Get Back to Work
  • Create a local credentialing mechanism with UAA and labor unions to eliminate talent/brain waste of displaced and foreign-born workers.
  • Support the expansion of the Job Shops initiative through the public libraries and faith-based organizations.
  • City LAB integration for adults focused on workforce development or entrepreneurship training.
  • Resetting Public Safety
George believes that every neighborhood should be safe, clean, and connected. Children and families should not fear walking to school, visiting downtown, riding their bikes to the neighborhood park, or enjoying the trail system. No part of our city should look or feel neglected. We can do better. By bringing together individuals, law enforcement, civil society organizations, faith-based partners, and the business sector, Anchorage can become one of the safest, cleanest, and most connected cities in America.
I- A Safe Anchorage For Every Resident (SAFER)
  • Maintain full staffing of APD necessary for continued implementation of the successful community policing model.
  • Continue to embed mental health workers into APD operations to address the rising mental health contacts adequately.
  • Reduce the strain on law enforcement by expanding community-led violence and crime intervention strategies. (Green dot Anchorage)
  • Invest in crime reduction through environmental design and placemaking initiatives to end graffiti vandalism as we know it. (Graffiti busting)
  • Work with the State of Alaska to expand crime prevention, restorative justice models, and reentry programs.
  • Targeting of property crimes and human trafficking.
  • Support continuous training, professional development, and certification for officers.
  • Strengthen APD’s recruitment base from the Anchorage School District and UAA to deepen the department’s cultural responsiveness.
II- Tackling Homelessness
  • Reset the core values of unhoused services to dignity, respect, and independence.
  • Implement a door-to-door transportation program for shelter, assisted, and supportive housing clients.
  • Create a public-private daily dignity jobs program with wrap-around supports to help people work and get off the streets.
  • Expand the independence plus scattered-site model of services to increase accountability. Large capacity facilities cost more, are less accountable, and increase negative activity on surrounding streets.
  • Close the data gap to effectively eliminate the revolving door, manage resources, and improve accountability.
  • Use the alcohol sales tax’s dedicated resources to address mental and behavioral health services, including substance abuse.
  • Never pit community members against the unhoused through bad policy design and faulty implementation.
III – Safe, Clean, Connected Neighborhoods
  • Expansion of city-wide cleanup and adopt-a-site programs to encourage residents to regularly volunteer.
  • Focus on pedestrian and non-motorized vehicle safety.
  • Prioritize a safe and reliable public transportation system.
  • End graffiti vandalism as we know it through the Anchorage Artway Program. (Hyder Street)
  • Relaunch the downtown facade improvement program and the City of Lights initiative.
  • Connect daily dignity jobs program to neighborhood cleanups and revitalization projects.
  • Anchorage is a leader in inclusive playgrounds it is important to continue investing in parks and trails. Prioritize public-private maintenance partnerships.
  • Invest in community sports infrastructure to strengthen youth resiliency and positive prevention opportunities.
IV – Emergency Preparedness
  • Maintain the highest level of readiness across all municipal departments.
  • Prioritize equity and cultural responsiveness in emergency planning, communications, and operations.
  • Deepen community-based response networks through the Federation of Community Councils.
  • Improve wildfire mitigation, including strengthening the Firewise Home Assessment Program.[32]
 ”
—George Martinez's campaign website (2021)[37]


Independent Mike Robbins

Campaign website

Robbins' campaign website stated the following:

“
  • Crime
Enforcing laws, prosecuting crimes and giving our first responders the tools they need to keep us safe.
  • Homelessness
The homeless population of Anchorage has increased tremendously in the last decade. By bringing together private non-profits and faith-based organizations a Robbins Administration will facilitate real and humane solutions to address this complicated and multi-faceted issue.
  • COVID/Economic Recovery
Anchorage has all of the tools it needs to be the economic engine for Alaska. We are the hub for all industries in the state. We have the port, the airport, and the railway. We will pay attention to the science while responsibly opening Anchorage for business. A Robbins Administration will be focused on rebuilding Anchorage’s businesses and economy as the pandemic ends.
  • Education
Having a world-class education system is critical for Anchorage to be a liveable community. Young families looking for quality education and businesses looking for qualified employees have a vested interest in this issue. Mike will work directly with the Anchorage School District and School Board in order to make this priority a reality.
And as the Pandemic winds down and schools re-open, Mike is committed to seeing our kids catch back up with their studies.
  • Government Services
Government exists to serve the people. A Robbins Administration will instill a culture of “Customer Service” from the top.
A Municipal Government that is effective and efficient with this kind of attitude is critical to the success of Anchorage. We don’t need to keep paying a premium for services as a result of needless layers of bureaucracy and bureaucratic processes.[32]
 ”
—Mike Robbins' campaign website (2021)[38]


About the city

See also: Anchorage, Alaska

Anchorage is the largest city in Alaska. As of 2020, its population was 291,247. Anchorage is a unified home rule municipality created in 1975 through the unification of the governments of the City of Anchorage and the Greater Anchorage Area Borough, making Anchorage one of the largest municipalities in the nation in terms of square mileage. It encompasses nearly 1,955 square miles from Eklutna in the north to Girdwood and Portage in the south.[39]

City government

See also: Mayor-council government and Council-manager government

The city government of Anchorage combines a council-manager system with a strong mayor system. In this form of municipal government, the city council serves as the city's primary legislative body and the mayor serves as the city's chief executive. The mayor, however, appoints a city manager to oversee the city's day-to-day operations and execute city policies.[40]

Demographics

The following table displays demographic data provided by the United States Census Bureau.

Demographic Data for Anchorage, Alaska
Anchorage Alaska
Population 291,247 733,391
Land area (sq mi) 1,706 571,019
Race and ethnicity**
White 61.2% 63.4%
Black/African American 5.3% 3.2%
Asian 9.8% 6.4%
Native American 7.5% 14.6%
Pacific Islander 2.9% 1.4%
Other (single race) N/A 1.7%
Multiple 11% 9.3%
Hispanic/Latino 9.4% 7.2%
Education
High school graduation rate 94% 93.1%
College graduation rate 36.6% 30%
Income
Median household income $84,813 $77,790
Persons below poverty level 8.8% 10.3%
Source: population provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "Decennial Census" (2020). Other figures provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2015-2020).
**Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.


See also

Anchorage, Alaska Alaska Municipal government Other local coverage
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External links

Footnotes

  1. ↑ Municipality of Anchorage, "April 6, 2021 Regular Municipal Election Results," accessed April 20, 2021
  2. ↑ Anchorage Daily News, "Anchorage Mayor Ethan Berkowitz resigns over what he calls ‘unacceptable personal conduct'", October 14, 2020
  3. ↑ Anchorage Daily News, "Meet Austin Quinn-Davidson, Anchorage’s new acting mayor," October 24, 2020
  4. ↑ Anchorage Daily News, "Dunbar so far outraises competitors for Anchorage mayor’s office by tens of thousands of dollars," February 17, 2021
  5. ↑ Anchorage Daily News, "In a crowded race, many candidates for Anchorage mayor say they’re aiming to make it to an expected runoff," February 15, 2021
  6. ↑ Alaska Public Media, "Anchorage mayoral hopefuls offer different visions on how to help the city recover," March 2, 2021
  7. ↑ State of Alaska Division of Elections, "August 19, 2014 Primary Candidate List," accessed June 2, 2014
  8. ↑ Anchorage Daily News, "Republican Mike Robbins joins 2021 Anchorage mayoral race," August 20, 2020
  9. ↑ City Charter of Anchorage, AL, Secs. 5.01-03, accessed March 15, 2021
  10. ↑ City Charter of Anchorage, AL, Secs. 5.01-03, accessed August 26, 2014
  11. ↑ Anchorage Daily News, "Anchorage 2021 city election basics," February 14, 2021
  12. ↑ In battleground primaries, Ballotpedia based its selection of noteworthy candidates on polling, fundraising, and noteworthy endorsements. In battleground general elections, all major party candidates and any other candidates with the potential to impact the outcome of the race were included.
  13. ↑ Forrest Dunbar, "Endorsements," accessed March 9, 2021
  14. ↑ George Martinez for Mayor, "Endorsed by," accessed March 9, 2021
  15. ↑ Vote Bill Evans, "Endorsements," accessed March 9, 2021
  16. ↑ Mike Robbins for Mayor, "Endorsements," accessed March 9, 2021
  17. ↑ Falsey for Mayor, "Endorsements," March 9, 2021
  18. ↑ Dave Bronson for Mayor, "Endorsements," accessed March 9, 2021
  19. ↑ Mike Robbins for Mayor, "Endorsements," accessed March 9, 2021
  20. ↑ Falsey for Mayor, "Endorsements," March 9, 2021
  21. ↑ Mike Robbins for Mayor, "Endorsements," accessed March 9, 2021
  22. ↑ Mike Robbins for Mayor, "Endorsements," accessed March 9, 2021
  23. ↑ Mike Robbins for Mayor, "Endorsements," accessed March 9, 2021
  24. ↑ Vote Bill Evans, "Endorsements," accessed March 9, 2021
  25. ↑ Mike Robbins for Mayor, "Endorsements," accessed March 9, 2021
  26. ↑ Mike Robbins for Mayor, "Endorsements," accessed March 9, 2021
  27. ↑ Mike Robbins for Mayor, "Endorsements," accessed March 9, 2021
  28. ↑ Forrest Dunbar, "Endorsements," accessed March 9, 2021
  29. ↑ Falsey for Mayor, "Endorsements," March 9, 2021
  30. ↑ George Martinez for Mayor, "Endorsed by," accessed March 9, 2021
  31. ↑ Las Vegas Review-Journal, "North Las Vegas Mayor John Lee says he’s becoming a Republican," April 6, 2021
  32. ↑ 32.0 32.1 32.2 32.3 32.4 32.5 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
  33. ↑ David Bronson’s campaign website, “A New Direction,” accessed March 6, 2021
  34. ↑ Forrest Dunbar's campaign website, “Issues,” accessed March 6, 2021
  35. ↑ Bill Evans' campaign website, “Issues,” accessed March 6, 2021
  36. ↑ Bill Falsey’s campaign website, “The Issues,” accessed March 6, 2021
  37. ↑ George Martinez's campaign website, “Anchorage Forward,” accessed March 6, 2021
  38. ↑ Mike Robbins' campaign website, “Priorities,” accessed March 6, 2021
  39. ↑ Municipality of Anchorage, "About Anchorage," accessed September 9, 2014
  40. ↑ City Charter of Anchorage, AK, "Secs. 5.01-03," accessed August 26, 2014
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