Amy Demboski: Jim Arlington fails the honesty test

By AMY DEMBOSKI

As I watch this election cycle in the Municipality of Anchorage shape up, I can’t help but draw from my own experiences as a candidate and a former Assemblymember representing Chugiak, Eagle River, and JBER.

I recall going door to door when I was new to politics, and the most frequent question was about my political affiliation. For most voters, this is the foundational question to understand a politician’s perspective, and it serves as a building block of what to expect, how politicians view the world, and how they might make future decisions that will impact our lives and our pocket books.  

Candidates who refuse to admit their political ideology reveal the most basic truth. They are intentionally trying to deceive voters and don’t deserve your vote. 

The liberal candidate in the Eagle River Assembly race is doing exactly that; he is not truly non-partisan, he has been a liberal Democrat for years, and his name is Jim Arlington.

Jim ran against Anna McKinnon (formerly Fairclough) as a Democrat in 2014 for the State Senate and lost. 

I asked Jim his political ideology on my morning radio show on 650 KENI last week, he refused to be honest about it, danced around the question, and tried to read me a definition from Wikipedia.

He has been a Democrat for years, backed by the Democrat Party, and political donations have flowed into his campaign for Assembly from well-known Democrats and liberals. Let me list a few: Mark Begich, Tom Begich, Forrest Dunbar, Harriet Drummand, Daniel Volland, Anchorage Democrats (clearly Party affiliated), Mark Butler, James Lottsfeldt, Debra Call, Bruce Bothelho, Mike Navarre, and Sam Cotton, as well as multiple union packs and political action committees. 

I also pulled his voter registration, and no surprise, the Division of Elections has him listed as a Democrat.

This may break the mold in political circles, but my first measure of a politician is not what someone’s political affiliation is; rather, my first metric for all politicians is are they are honest? If the answer is no, they don’t deserve my vote. Jim has failed on the most basic of measures and deserves neither a vote, nor to represent the community I grew up in. 

Fortunately, Chugiak, Eagle River, and JBER have a quality choice in this election.

I strongly recommend Scott Myers to represent Chugiak-Eagle River on the Anchorage Assembly. Scott is a conservative who readily admits he has been a registered Republican since he was 18, and Scott has been active in our community long before he decided to run for political office. Scott is the President of the Southfork Community Council, was on the Chugiak-Eagle River Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors for eight years, serves on the Board of Equalization and on the Zoning Board of Examiners and Appeals. Public service has been part of Scott’s life for years; it’s not just a campaign slogan, and I appreciate that. 

In contrast to his opponent, whose majority of support is coming from Anchorage liberals, Scott’s list of campaign contributors is dominated by well-known Eagle River residents and longtime conservatives. Just to name a few of Scott’s campaign contributions: Jamie Allard, Crystal Kennedy, Amy Demboski, Lora Reinbold, Nick Begich, Tiffany Lund, Elaine Hedden, Brandy Pennington, Adam Galindo, Eva Loken, Elyce Santerre, Matt & Melissa Hickey, Harry & Candy Young, Suzanne Downing, Scott Bailey, Thomas McGee, Trina Johnson, Lucia Nanez, Ric Davidge, Ryan McKee, and Berkley Tilton.

The thing about politics and a small town, the truth always comes out; all you have to do is follow the money and take a glimpse at history; it is right before our eyes. 

We have a clear choice. Scott Myers is honest about who he is and what he believes. To me, that is the most important characteristic I look for when a politician asks for my vote.  Ballots must be postmarked, or dropped off by 8 pm on April 4 at any of the Municipal drop off locations (drop box in Eagle River is located in front of the Library), here is a link to all drop off locations: Elections Voter Resources (muni.org).

Amy Demboski is the morning host on 650 KENI, iHeart Radio.