Acting mayor rushing through ARP expenditures before new mayor sworn in

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At tonight’s special Anchorage Assembly meeting, Acting Mayor Austin Quinn-Davidson will ask the Assembly to approve the allocations for the $51.1 million in American Recovery Plan funds. The unelected mayor appears to be wanting to cut Mayor-elect Dave Bronson out of the process. Bronson, who appears to have won the 2021 mayoral election, won’t be sworn in until July 1.

The meeting starts at 6 pm. Public comment are at the beginning of the meeting, but will be limited because it is a special Assembly meeting, which is scheduled for just three hours. The public has not been made aware of the spreadsheet of expenditures, which are located here in the meeting packet.

Some of the planned expenditures include:

  • $500,000 for a multi-family unit for permanent transition for youth, for ages 18-24; it would house about 10 youth per year. The purchase of the building would mean operating funds would have to be found later to continue the program.
  • $3.75 million for housing and homeless support.
  • $1.6 million for House of Transformations support – vocational and apprenticeships.
  • $260,000 for the library (already has funds from bonds, operating budget, and CARES Act funds).
  • $300,000 for Shiloh Community Housing to help the homeless between 16-24.
  • $5 million for fast-track career certificates for University of Alaska Anchorage, to help people get skilled up for better jobs.
  • $56,000 for Northern Cultural Exchange, for an ad campaign for an “ecosystem assessment” for a creative economy and ancillary businesses.
  • $200,000 for Alaska Works Partnership (a union program) to fund two people to recruit high school students to trade schools.
  • $150,000 for Alaska Manufacturing Extension Partnership to jumpstart manufacturing businesses through virtual assistance. It’s an e-commerce webinar program.
  • $100,000 to Jasmin Smith, Business Boutique, to train people of color to communicate all funding opportunities.
  • $150,000 for economic stimulus for road map for vital and safe Anchorage services, through consultants SALT and Northern Compass Group – former Mayor Mark Begich.
  • $300,000 to Downtown Partnership for “way-finding with indigenous names.”

When Bronson is sworn in, Quinn-Davidson will return to her seat on the Assembly, which was saved for her by her seven liberal allies.

34 COMMENTS

  1. So surprise here. The only question that remains is whether or not the outgoing vile trolls will leave nasty notes strewn throughout their offices.

  2. $200,000 for Alaska Works Partnership (a union program) to fund two people to recruit high school students to trade schools. ??????
    Seems to me the union should be funding this program themselves to shore up their membership. ??

  3. So, now the muni wants me to support adults who can’t seem to get their lives together? Since when are 18-24 year olds “youths”? I was working full time jobs at 15, so I fail to see why an 18-year-old can’t manage to do the same thing.

  4. Please someone cite for us authority to save seats abandoned then saved. One cannot have two emoluments. If you are elected to one and willfully refuse to do the because your collegues with your concurrence move you to a more powerful posistion you have willfully abandoned that previous position and any supportive constituents. This is I believe a kangaroo unlawful public action breaking our guaranteed republic form of government within the United States which is an act against the representation of West side constituents. We do not consent and demand a separate election immediately which is our right. No more anti republic behavior!

  5. One small way to respond to those Muni employees that are enabling this behavior: Terminate every single executive employee within one hour of the new Mayor taking office. Just putting that idea out there will cause more than a few to have pause. It is not like that they will run over and get jobs in the Dunleavy administration.

  6. The liberals are ruthless and unapologetic. The right could learn a thing or two from them. Conservatives aren’t conserving anything, they babble on about low taxes and less government ( and supporting Israel ) but tow the globalist line like good little sheep. The GOP tried to stop Trump in the primaries, the GOP are more worried about being called bad names than winning.

  7. Liberals you all doing too much for people, the work load is going to kill you. Save the work for the little people to do for themselves. cause I swear your not going to recieve a Thanks at the end of it all, and your family life and children will had suffered from your lack of committment to them.

  8. Totally unprofessional, she needs to take the moral high-ground, unless it’s all approved and of course then I expect to see a 50 foot bronze statue of her erected near midtown

  9. 100 Grand to Jasmin Smith to help train people to communicate funding opportunities to others? Good Job communicating your needs to the un-elected Mayor. I would hire you in a heartbeat if you could hustle that kind of pork into my pocket. But in fairness your receiving this Public Entitlement is probably the most sane and wise use of funds listed above. I am betting that after expenses you will pocket something like 80K for yourself. Good on you! At least a little part of this money will do someone somewhere some good.

  10. The age range for “youth” has certainly changed…for the worse.
    Just a reminder…when your government uses public money taken from productive people to give to non-productive people that is socialism/communism.
    It isn’t charity or helping out or any of that other propaganda BS…it’s a forced redistribution of wealth from those who can to those who can’t…they live better at our expense.

  11. And, exactly how many days, no hours, after Bronson is confirmed as winner will it take for the Assembly to terminate the Emergency Declaration?
    .
    Bronson will have a hard time getting anything through an uncooperative, hostile Assembly. Let’s see how Dunbar’s “reputation” for working across the political aisle actually pans out.

  12. How about removing the so called ‘mayor’ and current assembly from the cash machine, as they are fundamentally irresponsible with any form of government?

  13. This is the political equivalent of cutting the cheese in your office just prior to the real, legit mayor stepping in.

    Sell the trash she leaves in her wake and dedicate an outhouse in a ‘homeless and resting’ area in her name. Big letters on the sign.

  14. Public comment are at the beginning of the meeting, but will be limited because it is a special Assembly meeting, which is scheduled for just three hours.

    Since when has the assembly members changed their vote in response to public opinion? They’ll rush this through since they can’t stand the thought of Mayor-elect Bronson having any say on what is done with is federal windfall.

  15. Mitch McConnell rushing through SCOTUS nominee before Presidential election…

    It works in both directions, folks!

  16. Good grief. Ok there is one item on there that is potentially worthwhile albeit I’m not sure why it is attached to unions and likely it is because a union lobbied for it? Recruiting students into trades is actually desperately needed. There is a grave shortage of younger skilled people coming up in the trades. Good luck finding a skilled diesel technician, framer, finish carpenter, roofer, painter, HVAC tech, plumber, electrician, welder, etc. – the fields are aging out and there are few to take their places. Our public school system has heavily promoted STEM careers and have neglected hands on trades.

  17. Anchorage’s hyphenated-mayor was installed fraudulently, in deliberate violation of the Charter,.
    .
    This means a certain Assembly member could ask the U.S. Attorney to determine whether Acting Mayor Austin Quinn-Davidson violated USC Title 18, Section 242 by asking the Assembly to approve allocations for $51.1 million of American Recovery Plan funds.
    .
    What is USC Title 18, Section 242?
    .
    USC Title 18, Section 242 makes it a crime for a person acting under color of any law to willfully deprive a person of a right or privilege protected by the Constitution or laws of the United States.
    .
    Anchorage citizens were willfully deprived of their right to a mayor properly elected according to the City Charter.
    .
    One may reasonably allege this improperly installed mayor is acting under the color of law by telling the Anchorage Assembly what to do with $51.1M of taxpayers’ money, allocating the $51.1 million of federal funds without statutory, Charter authority to do so.
    .
    If the Assembly is complicit with the mayor, whom Assembly members know to be improperly installed, it seems reasonable to ask the U.S. Attorney whether the complicity rises to the threshold of a federal RICO violation.

  18. This is ridiculous: “$100,000 to Jasmin Smith, Business Boutique, to train people of color to communicate all funding opportunities.” Ms. Smith is the same person who got $50,000.00 to pass out debit cards to the very few people who received them. Just how did she end up on the Muni’s “Gravy Train”.

  19. What is “$300,000 to Downtown Partnership for “way-finding with indigenous names.” ?

    They stated that they wanted to get the funds out to the people/agencies who need them as soon as possible but it is clear they are trying to get them out without any input from the new administration and public on the best use of the funds.

  20. This level of corruption must be prosecuted. Slime of the worst order – they get wealthier off taxpayer funds while we suffer from their corrupt incompetence.

  21. The Alaska Black Caucus (aka BLM) gets +$437,000 to fund its efforts to promote Marxist theory in the Anchorage School District. What the hell is wrong with Jamie Allard and Crystal Kennedy? I guess they support Critical Race Theory in our “public” schools. Damn!

  22. ADN Editorial Board: “…Bronson would be wise to start by seeking common ground where he can, or he’ll have a tough time translating any of his plans from vision to reality….In order for Anchorage to move forward, we’ll need a mayor and Assembly who can work with one another, regardless of ideological differences. That work should start today, because there’s plenty of ground to cover.”

    For Leftists, working together works one way. Per Usual.

  23. Elected incompetence is a fact of democracy and the life blood of MRAK.
    .
    This same batch of writers complained about Berky, Felix, The Actress, and a host of others that attained unearned profile and post. Let’s hope that the new guy brings us little to complain about and know that comments about criminal behavior and the like are a waste of words. You didn’t care enough to appropriately complain when a host of incompetents were allowed to select from among themselves a leader, foist it on you, and then alter extant rules such that an actual real leader wouldn’t be elected.
    .
    …and you don’t care enough now. She’ll fade off into mediocracy and her adopted progeny will be told tales of greatness.
    .
    And they’ll all grow up thinking that it’s normal for a clerk to have a voice in public administration.

  24. How the heck did you guys in Anchorage manage to elect so many low-class, mentally-deficient people into your assembly anyway?

  25. Dog, it’s funny how fast you lefties come down off your high horse…..
    Hypocrisy knows no bounds.
    Comparing wasteful spending done in a rush to circumvent the inevitable just shows how pitiful and shameful our assembly and its supporters really are. If these ideas or this spending spree were popular or even somewhat justifiable there would be no need to shove it through in haste, the left could simply let their plan stand on its own merits…..if it had any

  26. So since she is an illegal Mayor, does anything she does stand after the legal elected Mayor takes office?

  27. I’m so glad that Anchorage has a real mayor now instead of this chick that looks like she was on Scooby-Doo. Bronson should be able to go through executive action and cancel out a bunch of what she’s done. I would begin by stop payment on the check that’s going to buy the black caucus their own building.

  28. For this political jitterbug by the outgoing emolument I propose an early entrance of the elected Mayor to ease into the petulant almost distant “assembly” if he is willing he should take the wheel EARLY not on time or later in good faith for the needs of the community.

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