Darrel Hess, the municipal ombudsman in the middle of a self-made scandal in which he has made accusations about the mayor of Anchorage, admitted on a podcast this week that he has no academic preparation that would qualify him for the ombudsman’s job, other than his life experiences.
“I don’t even have a university degree, I’m a university drop out. Back in the day I discovered cheap wine and good marijuana from the Valley, and dropped out of college. I regret never going back, but I think my life’s experiences were good preparation for the position.”
Hess, in January, wrote a memo to the Anchorage Assembly, the majority of whom he aligns with politically, stating that members of Mayor Dave Bronson’s administration had been downloading security videos that showed who came and went from the Ombudsman’s Office. The memo was included in the packet for a special meeting of the Assembly, during which members went into executive session to explore their options for punishing the mayor for this and other allegations.
Hess has also requested a review by municipal Law Department, as spying on employees who are whistleblowers may be considered a form of misconduct. There is no known evidence that the incidents to which he refers actually occurred.
“Recently, multiple Municipal employees have contacted the Ombudsman’s Office alleging that an executive with the Municipality had stated that the Mayor’s Office has been downloading copies of City Hall surveillance videos to see who is accessing the Ombudsman’s Office and interacting with Assembly Members. Employees have stated that they are hesitant to visit our office because they are afraid that access to our office is being monitored. The employees perceive the alleged statements by the executive to be an attempt to intimidate them to not contact the Ombudsman’s Office,” the memo said.
Hess came up through the ranks of city government, first starting as a project manager in 2008 for the Office of Economic Development, and later serving as the city’s homeless coordinator. He has served as the city’s ombudsman since 2012, and is the person to whom citizens can lodge complaints or concerns about city government. Having lasted through several administrations at City Hall, he is now running something akin to a parallel mayor’s office and reports to the Anchorage Assembly.
