The Democrats are celebrating. Anchorage Assembly will certify the April 4 municipal election during its Tuesday night meeting and administer the oath of office to the new Assembly members, who will then take their seats on the governing body that is managing the affairs, setting the tax rates, and expanding the homeless industrial complex into a full-blown crisis in Alaska’s largest city.
Voter turnout was low, and as the Assembly certifies the election, it appears it will be 65,762 voters out of of 235,546 registered voters, for a 28% turnout. The results, still unofficial until certified on Tuesday, are at this link.
Leaving the Assembly is Assembly Chairwoman Suzanne LaFrance, former chairwoman Austin Quinn-Davidson, interim appointed Eagle River Assemblywoman Robin Dern, and interim appointed Assemblyman Joey Sweet. None of them ran for reelection. Pete Peterson will also leave the Assembly, term-limited after three terms.
Scott Myers, above, won a seat on the Assembly.
With the exception of Scott Myers of Eagle River, all the new members are hardcore leftists endorsed by a group that is trying to shut down natural gas in Anchorage, among other things. The Outside dark-money Alaska Center had a clean sweep with its endorsed candidates. The group has now turned its focus to taking over the Chugach Electric Association. The Alaska Republican Party had no successes in this election, except for a late and tepid endorsement of Myers.
Questions remain about some procedures at Election Central in Anchorage, with observers filing challenges because unknown thumb drives were inserted into equipment, without anyone checking to see if it had data on it. The complaint is below:
Other concerns raised by observers include that the Assembly has changed some of its rules that will allow Assembly members who won their seats to certify their own election results. Essentially, members can vote on anything that has to do with an election they were in, a rule that the Assembly changed in the middle of the election cycle.
Results that will be certified on Tuesday
Downtown: Assemblyman Chris Constant will serve a third term, winning with 64.85% of the vote. In addition to the Alaska Center and Democrats, he is supported by the LGBTQ Victory Fund, an Outside special interest group.
Eagle River: Scott Myers will serve his first term, winning with 59.21% of the vote. Appointed member Robin Dern did not seek election for the seat formerly held by now-Rep. Jamie Allard. Myers is the only incoming conservative, bringing the total to three out of the 12 who serve.
West Anchorage: Anna Brawley will serve her first term, replacing Austin Quinn-Davidson. Brawley won with 56.63% of the vote. She is a big-government union choice and her company, Agnew-Beck has multiple contracts with the left-run Assembly. Her endorsers include Anchorage Police Department Employees Association PAC, Anchorage Central Labor Council, AFL-CIO, Alaska Laborers Local 341, and Plumbers and Steamfitters Local 367.
Midtown: Assemblyman Felix Rivera will serve a third term, winning 54.28% of the vote. He successfully beat off a recall attempt in 2021 and is championed by the LGBTQ Victory Fund.
East Anchorage: Karen Bronga will serve her first term, having won 59.33% of the vote for Pete Peterson’s seat. She was endorsed by Forrest Dunbar, Pete Peterson, and numerous Democrat officials in Alaska.
East Anchorage: George Martinez will be sworn in for his first term, after winning 56.68% of the vote for the seat vacated by now-Sen. Forrest Dunbar. The appointed interim member, Joey Sweet, did not run for the seat. Martinez comes from the Occupy Wall Street movement in New York City.
South Anchorage: As Suzanne LaFrance demurred from running for a third term, Zac Johnson won and will be sworn in to represent South Anchorage after winning 50.70% of the vote. He is endorsed by many unions, including AFL-CIO, Teamsters, ASEA public employees, APEA, AFT education unions, police and firefighter unions.
School Board: Dave Donley won reelection to a third term, with 57.52% of the vote areawide.
The Assembly agenda is at this link.
