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.
Wolf in sheeps clothing. It’s so bad that liberals have to deny they’re liberals.
Amy, the Assembly is non-partisan so unwise for anyone to to speak party perspective in the race.
Better to lie.
No, not better to lie.
The majority of members within the current Assembly are so far from ‘non-partisan that they could not see it with a telescope.
Maureen, again with your dishonest and disgustingly disingenuous half-truths and lies.
.
You know damned well that the Anchorage ass-embly is ‘non-partisan’ in theory only, and that all those on it have clear partisan positions. To pretend otherwise is to deny reality. Oh, but denying reality IS what the radical leftist extremist agenda that you espouse is all about.
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God help all those whom you supposedly counseled.
No such thing as a non-partisan political office. Everyone falls on one side or the other, regardless of the office description or mission. Ones party affiliation gives insight into their spending and voting proclivities.
Lol.
what do you mean the assembly is non-partisan?
that’s clearly not true at all and claiming so is either delusional or an outright lie.
You are going to have to demonstrate that the Assembly, which is non-partisan by law, is non-partisan in practice. It just ain’t so, dear.
Non partisan my butt!!! What planet are you living on?
Totally agree Amy. Iv;e said the same myself. If a candidate won’t fess up party affiliation, assume democrat. Also if they say “independent.” That too means democrat. (Like Bill Walker)
Pretty good rule. When Andy Jospehson ran for office for the first time as non-partisan, I instantly thought “He’s a Democrat”. I called him up posing as a Democrat badgering him about not running as a Democrat and got him to confess he was a Democrat, but lying to the public to get elected.
Thanks for taking the time to write your opinion. We could use a dose of honesty.
The outcome of this race will say a lot about the direction of Eagle River.
Amy owes an apology to bronson for worsening the situation for him and all us. And jimmy isn’t fooling anyone that even someone not political can see is a democrat
Amy was like a sheep dog who attacked a sheep only for it kicking
the dog.
Amy was a hit lady for Bronson and she did her job very, very well. Problem is when you hire a hit lady, you need to have a mutually agreed upon exit strategy that doesn’t aim the weapon at you. Appears no exit strategy was agreed upon. Too bad. Cheers –
Why? For defending herself against Bronson’s attack dogs?
Bronson’s administration could have dismissed her quietly. They went public and attacked her character. She did something most Republicans never do- fought back.
Amy didn’t do anything to make the situation in Anchorage worse for the population. Bronson’s people did that.
I agree! She was a horrible city manager and pretends to be a Conservative (when it suits her interests). She did great harm to the conservative movement and as our lovely city crumbles around us, the destruction is at her feet. Bronson was an idiot for thinking she could be a team player. Her ego is too big! So she can write all the opinion pieces that she wants, I will always see her as a traitor and therefore her opinion means JackS***!
Amy has correctly called this play.
Honest disclosure is a key demonstration of integrity.
James should get less than the 22% of vote that he got in 2214.
Amy did prep listeners earlier to be careful how what candidates don’t say during interviews, which was GOOD, but not everyone who heard the interview heard that. And during the interview, Arlington wouldn’t answer Amy’s question. Amy said “fair enough” and moved on. She told him he was being fair by not answering her question, and then let it go.
After the interview, at the end of the show, Amy didn’t warn listeners about what just happened. Some may have been buffaloed by his smooth talk and then voted for Arlington during this weekend. The vast majority of listeners won’t see this article.
Isn’t this TOO MUCH THE OPPOSITE OF DAN FAGAN? Dan perhaps was sometimes too confrontational so some guests wouldn’t even come on the show, but listeners always knew what the TRUTH was.
John Trueblood has been on Amy’s show many times, and neither he nor she would tell the listeners he’s running against Constant. Dan would have MADE SURE listeners knew Constant was Trueblood’s “opponent,” so the people would know how CRUCIAL Trueblood winning is. That’s the moderator’s job, and should be Trueblood’s too.
The focus shouldn’t be on just giving Trueblood history and views, but EVERY LISTENER should know that he’s running against Chris Constant, one of the worst Assemblymen in all of Anchorage’s history!
THIS ISN’T A GAME, or about having FUN in the morning. This is the FUTURE OF ANCHORAGE that’s at stake here. When Trueblood is on, everyone should know he’s running against Constant, who locked us down, force masked us twice, pushes LGBTQ everything, conspires against Bronson, and leads the others in that. Constant is our tyrant, and he’s not mentioned during any Trueblood interview, so listeners know they don’t just have the option to vote for Trueblood. They must!
This is going too far in the SOFTBALL direction.
We’re in a WAR OF GOOD VERSES EVIL, which Dan Fagan often pointed out. Dark forces are trying to destroy Anchorage, and many people in Anchorage. Amy too often acts like the show should be more about just having a conversation, which always has to be fun.
Fighting evil isn’t always fun.
Constant put forth an ordinance that is now law in Anchorage that children who have been same-sex raped aren’t allowed to get professional help to overcome their same-sex attraction feelings after the event. Parents aren’t allowed to hire counselors to help their children forgive and overcome. Constant’s ordinance will fine counselors who try to help with large fines.
MOST people in Anchorage DON’T even KNOW of this, but everyone should know. Dan Fagan tried to tell us. Now we’re not even being told Trueblood’s opponent is Constant.
Constant tried to force women’s shelters to bed transgender biological males side by side with women who have been abused by men. He’s just evil. This isn’t a game.
Dan sometimes probably went too far the other way, which he’s admitted. But the softball technique is keeping many from learning the truth so we can be FREE.
The focus of the show shouldn’t be on having FUN. The primary focus should be on Anchorage people learning the TRUTH, please?
It’s not the responsibility of a talk show host to make sure listeners/voters are informed on the candidates in their districts.
That’s the job of the voter. Don’t blame Amy if the voters are too lazy to care.
Masked Avenger,
Amy is responsible for what is aired on her show Friday. She had Arlington on, and when he refused to answer her question, she said “fair enough.”
After the interview, she didn’t warn listeners as to what just happened, how Arlington was deceiving them.
This morning, she said she didn’t have time to do an “analysis” of the interview; though, she talked for almost a minute before the show ended. She had plenty of time to say a few sentences to warn the people that Arlington is the liberal candidate, which he refused to say in the interview, and she said during the interview that was “fair enough.”
Amy let Arlington snow Anchorage people by saying nothing during or after the interview.
Amy isn’t being straight with us in saying today she didn’t have enough time to warn us after the interview. *She fails the ‘honesty test,’* saying on her show today she didn’t have enough time.
She didn’t have enough time to do a *full* analysis, but had enough time to warn voters of this lawyer’s manipulations that he just pulled, so they wouldn’t vote for him over the weekend.
Amy doesn’t tell the truth by how she words things at times, especially when she’s defending herself regarding something she did or didn’t do.
Amy needs to pass the *honesty test* herself to be an example of integrity and to always be a force for good.
TRUTH MATTERS!
In addition Suzanne did not even mention John Trueblood in her election analysis here.
Unbelievable!
VOTE TRUEBLOOD ….. VOTE TRUEBLOOD …. VOTE TRUEBLOOD
DUMP CHRIS CONSTANT.
C’mon Amy & Suzanne ….what’s up w/ this? Did this man do something wrong?
We need a crystal clear voting guide for conservatives. Many people don’t know who to vote for, and what propositions to support. They don’t want to make a mistake, do the wrong thing, so instead do nothing.
Many conservatives don’t pay attention to local politics, and the leftist media makes sure the left know who to vote for.
The school board candidates are also crucial to mention.
Uh, it was Amy’s piece. SD didn’t write it.
“The Masked Avenger,”
Do you know what your name means?:
1. To inflict a punishment or penalty in return for; revenge.
2. To take vengeance on behalf of.
That’s evil, and is God’s job: “Vengeance is Mine; I will repay.”
Having vengeance and unforgiveness in your heart, you needlessly make mistakes.
George isn’t talking about Amy’s election analysis above, which is just about Eagle River. Trueblood is running in North Anchorage. George is referring to Suzanne’s election analysis “here” on this site, Must Read Alaska, entitled: “Downing: Anchorage, vote for your homes, wallets, and most of all, your values,” which is a citywide analysis.
You know who fails the loyalty to anchorage test? Any when she hired Scott Kendall.
And you wouldn’t if you could afford him?
If I go to court I want the most bloodthirsty shark available.
I would want an attorney (or some people referred to them as…lawyers) that I can TRUST, that has MY best interest not their own agenda to deep six me, my community, my state, and my country, and that is an attorney that believes in TRUTH and JUSTICE for all, not just an elite class of people. Have a nice day!
No I would never hire and empower my enemy. Do you think I’m stupid?
Ryan, you’re right that Amy did fail the “loyalty to Anchorage test by hiring Scott Kendall, the most notorious, liberal left lawyer well known for destroying what is good in Alaska.
Amy is paying Kendall to go scorched earth on Mayor Bronson, who has done everything he could to trash Dave, turning Anchorage against Dave Bronson to the best of his ability, using every means necessary, including sending Amy’s long list of things Dave did wrong to the liberal Assembly people and the media, who posted it for everyone to see.
Then the list was sent out to Anchorage residents in the mail to further make sure as many people see Amy’s accusations against the mayor we elected to serve and protect us.
When Amy, as city managaer started seeing Dave do things she thought were wrong, she should have spoken up then. If he continued to do them and didn’t correct his ways, she should have spoken up louder, or to friends of Dave and HR (Niki Tshibaka), and if necessary the ombudsman.
To just let her accusation list against Dave grow without doing something makes her partly responsible for what she said Dave did wrong.
Kendall has now successfully smeared Mayor Dave Bronson’s name so severely, paid to do so by Amy, so now all of the conservative candidates who supported Bronson running right now can be smeared as well by their association with Dave. This is happening in my district.
Amy can’t even talk about many important subjects on her show because she’s suing Bronson. And when she does talk about him, she calls him “the mayor,” instead of Mayor Bronson.
Amy knew that Kendall was the architect of ranked choice voting to get Lisa Murkowski reelected, who now continues to destroy Alaska and the USA, thanks to Kendall.
Kendall even claims that prohibitions against abortion until birth violate the First Amendment according to his religion. Suzanne wrote an article on it.
And when listeners tell her she was wrong to hire Kendall, she defends herself, saying “I hire the best;” though, he’s the worst morally and ethically.
Amy is responsible for what she’s done to Anchorage by hiring the worst, and won’t admit she’s wrong.
Then she lets KENI every day call her “The Boss, Amy DemBOSSky” — the person who has failed the “loyalty to Anchorage test” by hiring Scott Kendall to publicly defame Mayor Dave Bronson and anyone associated with him.
People still listen to her. Amazing.
I don’t understand why people in this town continue to give this woman legitimacy. She’s an instigator. She’s been stirring the pot and backstabbing people since her initial run for office. She swoops in, causes hate and discontent, and then feeds off the attention. How about we all stop enabling her.
Scott Kendall. That’s all I needed to know.
Leftist Democrats trying to conceal their true nature from the voters is always expected.
I learned about that trick Democrats play long ago. When their description says “non partisan” you can bet they aren’t. Calvin Schrage knocked on our door last October. We are a registered Republican household. I asked him right away if he is a Democrat. He immediately launched into a gaslighting explanation of which I did not fall for. And then I said goodbye, not interested.
I’m not discounting her allegations against Bronson but what I did not like is that she ran directly to the ADN and KTUU with it. That’s when she lost me.
Genuine question. Who else would cover it? Local radio at its best probably doesn’t reach as far as the other two combined.
In a ugly fight sometimes you don’t have the luxury of picking your allies.
I assumed that Amy was previously opposed to having anything to do with the ADN. At least that’s how she presented herself politically. Apparently when they’re useful to her, her opposition vanished. Not the way I would roll. Just sayin’.
Patricia, I got the same treatment from “non-partisan” Zac Johnson. He knocked on my door a couple of months ago. I told him right away that I am a Republican, totally fed up and disgusted with our current assembly, and asked him what he would do differently. He immediately launched into his military and law enforcement background (because that’s sure to get the conservative vote, right?), stressed that he is non-partisan and can work with anyone, but even when pressed for specifics a couple of times didn’t tell me how his objectives were any different than the current assembly. When I went inside, my daughter who had heard the entire conversation, had one thing to say: “Democrat!”
Suzanne.
Amy D. undermines what’s right, for her own benefit at this point.
Her hiring of S. Kendall is bad for ANC. Why are you promoting her?
Have you given up on ANC yourself?
What she has done helps no one but Democrats here.
Please stop.
Demboski seems to be a traitor ?..? What’s going on with her ?? I don’t much like traitors. I’m with George.
I used to think she was ok. Not anymore.
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