The director of information technology for Anchorage’s municipality has resigned. He was forced out by Mayor Dave Bronson, who asked for his resignation recently, as the mayor comes under pressure from a pending investigation.
Marc Dahl is accused by leftists of having acted improperly during the recent Anchorage Municipal election, by tightening up procedures that were causing concern about the security of Anchorage elections.
In fact, there is very little to indicate Dahl did anything other than make sure that thumb drives being inserted into election computers had been swept for data beforehand.
But Ombudsman Darrel Hess has forwarded his report to the state Department of Law, in which he essentially accuses Dahl of conspiring with an election observer, Sami Graham. Graham was Mayor Bronson’s first chief of staff, and was a citizen observer during the ballot sorting and counting after the April 4 election.
Dahl’s actions to tighten election procedures came at a time when the public is increasingly wary about the mail-in elections that Anchorage conducts, and the security of elections in general. But leftists point out that after the security policy was tightened, Graham used that information to challenge some of the vote tallying activity, because the computers were not secure. They say this is evidence that the two were coordinating. Dahl has been on administrative leave for several weeks.
The Anchorage ombudsman works on behalf of the Assembly and is a known partisan leftist.
If he did nothing wrong, why did Bronson force him out?
More and more it looks like Bronson is out of his depth, almost as much as the Politburo.
Nice leadership you’ve chosen, Anchorage. You make Juneau look organized and efficient.
What was our alternative? Forrest Dunbar? We’d be full on commie by now if not for us voting in Bronson.
Your alternative is, and was, to find better candidates.
Why is this so hard for so many?
Conservatives trying to cheat elections again? Not shocking.
When has that ever happened?
Oppose the left and pay the price. Even from your conservative boss, Mayor Bronson. Shameful all around.
Webster’s Dictionary ombudsman definition:
a person who investigates, reports on, and helps settle complaints: an individual usually affiliated with an organization or business who serves as an advocate for patients, consumers, employees, etc.
Clearly the Anchorage ombudsman is not described by this Definition.
Why does the Anchorage ombudsman work for the Assembly?
He should work for the citizens.
Remember “Tell it to Bud”?
I hope someone sues Darrel Hess for interfering in the duties carried out by Anchorage IT.
Unlike the Municipal Clerk and the employees who work i that office, the head of IT does not take swear an oath to uphold the law.
Could you imagine if this cockamamie procedure was implemented, not only would the Clerks office push back, but the Dept of Law and APD would never allow an unsworn IT employee be in charge of their data systems.
Thank you Mayor Bronson for taking on the Anchorage fascist state. You are doing a good job evidenced by all the squirming.
You must be a trump diehard. Facts, evidence – not your thing.
Or a Bronson diehard. What does Trump have to do with this?
More a matter of the pot ( ombudsman) calling the kettle ( Dahl) black?
Smoke and mirrors.
Gee, might there be more to this six paragraph story? Very few details here. Perhaps not worth rushing to condemn anyone at this point.
The issue was not with the policy instituted by the IT Director. It was that he, the IT Director, sent the new policy to an election observer prior to posting it on the Muni website and without telling anyone else in local government what the policy change was. The timing of this is available in the ombudsman’s report. The election complaint was lodged prior to the public release of the policy
That is a breach of his duties and could be seen as a partisan act that undermines what little trust there is in both the executive (mayor) and legislative (assembly) branch of our local government.
Thank you for a bit of sanity. Suzanne, would you verify this please?
Rich, the ombudsman is the henchman for the Assembly and is a partisan. He has made allegations. – sd
SD, can you clarify what is wrong in the ombudsman’s report? Mayor Bronson seems to have taken it serious enough that he pushed this guy out
It could be seen that he was doing his duty for the publics not the entrenched party interests. We obviously can’t allow that.
I am sure we are not getting all the details of the offensive moves by assembly members as well as clerks office personnel.
Chris Constant delivering flowers to Barb Jones during the vote counting process is highly suspect. Did some one die get sick married or is he courting her?
People on camera showing up and making a delivery to someone inside after hours to the back door which was to remain locked?
Fire alarm was activated and building evacuated when there was no sign of smoke or fire?
Thumb drives being installed?
Way too much possible interference which called for questioning and possibly defensive action which the left never likes to be questioned about their actions.
I am quite sure they are looking for anything they can to guarantee no one makes a peep at the next election or they will risk legal action against them in retaliation.
I think the ombudsman who should be impartial is Constants stool pigeon and between the two they will take down anyone on the right or in the right for that matter.
Constant and crew is EVIL!
Evidence for ANY of your lollipop claims?
I guess you don’t read the news much…
If you are not smart enough to find the facts on your own stick to the comic section.
There is video footage but that is only for the adults who can make logical determinations.
Thumb drives are used to transfer data off the voting machines. As such, they must be scanned with antivirus for viruses. Computer Security 101.
IT has been ratcheting down security for over a decade. There was a breach in the MatSu Borough 5-7 years that brought them down for several days. As I remember it, someone opened an attached Word file that launched the virus. Was a real mess. Dahl was making sure that didn’t happen here, which has worked pretty well so far. Cheers –
Interesting that the Assembly’s fingerprints are all over this affair. How’s this for a chain of events:
First, IT realizes that there are unscanned thumb drives being used in the election process. Orders them scanned each time inserted.
Newly hired Muni Clerk, who works for the Assembly freaks and demands to see the new policy in writing.
As the order is simply an extension of current policy, IT is forced to write a brand new policy to cover the change.
As they don’t have expertise in house on election machine security, they get a sanity check from a known local player in the business, someone the political hack Ombudsman who also works for the Assembly calls a political hack.
What the Ombudsman and Clerk and by extension the Assembly who these clowns work for are telling you is that if you find a potential problem, you are not able to fix that problem unless or until you have a specific policy in place addressing that specific problem. And you can never, ever go outside for additiional expertise or a sanity check. Otherwise, you get fired for doing your job.
Interesting that the same logic doesn’t apply to the Assembly majority including current Chair Chris Constant when he was coordinating their anti-gay transition ordinance with luggage thief Sam Brinton via private e-mail traffic a few years ago. It is Good to be King, as the rules only apply to the Little People. Cheers –
If there was no wrongdoing then measures taken to ensure the public of this would not be fought. Most people are more than glad to be proven innocent of wrong-doing. Only the guilty fight like schoolchildren when questioned. The human nature exhibited does nothing to ensure the public that our voting system is intact. In fact, quite the opposite.
Yes. Thank you Mayor Bronson for his service taking the beatings for us like a man every single day. That’s for your mockery against Neil, Pablo. Since Democrats can support their candidates who are doing worse managing and leading Alaskan communities, Rightist can
continue supporting our more Right candidates even through the cantankerous left mocking, kicking, and their wishing death threats against our candidates.
Who is Neil? And how did I mock him?
I’m not really amazed by the number of people on the right (Anchorage edition) who are not taking a hard look at the collapse of Bronson’s regime.
Having an R behind his name doesn’t mean he is above reasonable scrutiny. Especially since his administration has been plagued with so many unforced errors.
If Bronson had a D behind him, many here currently cheerleading would be calling for his head.
The problem is that when you are a (R), scrutiny is endless, not that is a Bad Thing, though any brain fart is a death sentence. OTOH, when you are (d), the only scrutiny is the amount of the last campaign donation, and all brain farts are excused.
You do realize that the Assembly has managed to turn the Ombudsman who is supposed to serve ALL CITIZENS into a partisan democrat tool working for the Assembly Majority, don’t you? How is that a Good Thing? Cheers –
I’m smarter than you are, do of course I recognize this and much more.
For example, the Bronson Administration commits way too many unforced errors making it so much easier for the Politburo to hamstring him.
If we don’t demand better from our own side, we get…Alaska Republicans. From Dunleavy on down.
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