By LAURA TEMPLE
The Assembly continues to say that Mayor Dave Bronson has no authority to create policy and that it is only a function of the legislative branch. This behavior is dangerous and compromises our democracy.
The attack on the executive branch by the Assembly (in particular Chris Constant, Meg Zalatel, and Felix Rivera) is detrimental on many levels. They continue to claw away at the mayor’s executive authority while simultaneously calling the mayor and his administration “incompetent”.
Constant loves to talk about incompetencies almost as much as he likes to talk about fantasies, but let’s focus on incompetencies for now. At the Tuesday, Nov. 7 Assembly meeting, the Assembly proposed an ordinance to approve an operating agreement by the administration between O’Malley Ice and Sport and the municipality to operate the Sullivan Arena.
During over an hour of arguments, some Assembly members continued to berate and accuse the Bronson administration of not following the law, of being incompetent and placing blame on Bronson for the very mess that Constant and Zaletel created. They seemed to be actively practicing the adage of “a lie said often enough, loudly enough becomes true.”
I watched the entire debacle and the behavior of some Assembly members is abhorrent – namely Chris Constant, Meg Zalatel and Felix Rivera. They couldn’t seem to grasp the concept that the administration has no obligation to seek Assembly approval for operating agreements. Talk about incompetence. It’s their job to understand the code. They could not wrap their heads around the fact that operating agreements are not leases (incompetence again), and even after hearing lawyers and real estate professionals explain what an operating agreement is, they continued to accuse the mayor of lying, not following process, and wasting tax payer dollars by not informing them of an operating agreement.
The mayor apologized for not bringing it to their attention out of courtesy … but he really didn’t need to do that. As a member of the electorate, I strongly believe it is they who owe the mayor an apology. The patience the administration practiced during that assembly meeting was an act of God.
Anchorage, pay attention! Constant is doing everything in his power to prevent Bronson from winning his mayorship next year. He called the mayor a “squatter” in the municipality and is doing everything in his power to have him removed including by spreading misinformation, lying, and stripping the executive branch from the authority it has.
The future of our city depends on who is elected this coming April. Do your homework, don’t just listen to media that’s being maniuplated by certain assembly members who are attempting to usurp what and who YOU voted for.
Laura Temple is a resident of Eagle River.
