By ART HACKNEY
Politics is a process of trial by fire – and rightly so – but sometimes those fires can also burn a city to the ground.
Many candidates simply distinguish themselves by the size of the bombs they throw at their opponents.
How about actual accomplishments; actual articulated ideas; actual candidate character?
That is why I support Chris Tuck for mayor of Anchorage.
The current Mayor Dave Bronson, and the former chair of the Anchorage Assembly, Suzanne LaFrance, have been engaged in violent, chemical warfare against each other. It is poisoning the entire city. Their fights have resulted in lawsuits with huge financial costs – costs not to them – but to our city. The city charter has been ignored, the law has been ignored, the public itself has been ignored.
It has made many of us say – hey, these guys are both the problem and, you know, we really don’t have to vote for either one of them.
Anchorage has been named an All-American City four times. That’s a huge accomplishment for the small number of cities who have achieved that distinction. Unfortunately, Bronson and LaFrance have put Anchorage in the running for the most embarrassing city in America – $160 million wasted on failed homelessness initiatives, unsafe neighborhoods, an inability to handle our signature challenge – snow management, and endless finger pointing about who is to blame.
Anchorage is now just days away from a consequential election.
Here’s an idea: Cross Bronson and LaFrance off your list. Neither Dave Bronson nor Suzanne LaFrance should be Anchorage’s mayor. Period.
Chris Tuck has been a long time proud union member but Tuck has also been a school board member, a state legislator, and now has built a statewide small business with 14 employees. None of the other candidates for mayor have the real world job experience and the legislative experience that Chris Tuck does.
I worked for decades for many of Alaska’s greatest political leaders from Assembly to U.S. Senate. Chris Tuck has all the attributes of a great leader. He is a compassionate person who genuinely likes people and listens with an open mind. He also knows when it is time to take information and make a decision – and then take responsibility for it.
Back in August, when Chris began campaigning, 38 women wrote an op-ed detailing why they considered Chris Tuck to be the strongest candidate on issues that mattered to them. That speaks volumes about the kind of leader Chris Tuck has become over his years of community involvement and public service. Democratic and Republican leaders in the state have similarly written about Chris Tuck’s willingness, and ability, to work across the aisle to get solutions to the critical issues of economic development, education and public safety. Someone who engenders that kind of broad support is exactly what Anchorage needs.
The politics of my-way-or-the-highway has never delivered results to the population at large. The real people who make up Anchorage’s workforce, put their children through Anchorage schools, and who expect those children to be able to play in safe neighborhoods want hard working, genuine political leaders who can get the job done.
Chris Tuck is the one candidate in this April 2 election that has a proven record of doing just that. He is far and away the best of our choices to be Anchorage’s next Mayor.
Art Hackney was born in Anchorage in 1951. His late father was a state legislator for many years and Art has managed political and corporate public messaging for candidates and issues for over 40 years.
No to any Anchorage dis-Assembly member.
No to Bill Popp, who ran the worst economic development entity in the US. AEDC has done nothing but provide informational luncheons while the city has declined rapidly.
Bronson or Tuck are the only two that should be considered.
Art, you are starting to lose it. First Nicky Haley and now this character?. What’s going on with you. Didn’t Glenn teach you better?
DEFINITELY! … “No” to the existing Assembly Members.
Bronson is “DEFINITELY” a better choice than Tuck.
Hack-kneed Art is losing his brains. Either old age or a debt owed to people from his past mistakes. Art, take a long vacation …….far away from Alaska politics.
Well Art, Chris Tuck might be a nice guy but anyone good friends with Vince Beltrami tells me more than I want to know.
1.Union requirement on school projects raises to the cost of all repairs. School board needs to remove this before passing any bonds.
2. Union sponsored board members raise the costs of Chugach power when line workers can make $150-$200,00 year. Always vote against these board members with serious conflict of interest.
3. Union telephone rooms for April elections allows liberal members to win. The only solution is to force legislature to make sure all elections happen with general election. Mat Su did this. Until then, the unions have too much power in April elections.
4. Unions too powerful at Muni level. Pay at the Muni is far above the what it should be. I think most workers make over $100,000 year. This has not even been addressed by current administration.
Don’t be fooled by this lion in sheep clothing.
Vote Tuck? Why? LaFrance lite?
Some ideas.
-Not a good idea to lead with “proud union member” on a right of center political blog.
-While the Bronson administration has more than its share of badly self inflicted wounds, it’s disingenuous-at best, political hackery most likely- to blame the current political mess on Bronson.
The Politburo has gone after him in every way possible, from trying to strip his powers to really repugnant slander. They probably would boycott the toilet paper he uses if they knew the brand.
80% of this mess lies directly at the feet of the Politburo. Nowhere else.
Ignoring this childish behavior to pump Tuck does neither of you any good.
-I’m curious why you seem to think the Politburo will treat Tuck better? He’s not their most recently anointed.
The most telling, and damning point made was your reference to “the people of Anchorage want” as laugh out loud funny. And ignorant of reality.
This crapstorm is EXACTLY what the people of Anchorage want. EXACTLY. 80% don’t bother to vote. The less than 20% who do keep electing the very people who created this mess.
People get the government they deserve. Since they don’t vote for vote for fools, this is what they want.
Mr Hackney, you just took a trip down Reality Street.
Art, I do remember Mr Tuck as a school board member and he did very little, if anything, to improve student outcomes. He seemed to have represented the union better than the parents and students.
Also vote for Nikki Haley! You are falling fast, Art. Lol
My Way or the Highway is a perfect example of the current Assembly not the MAYOR. Every turn the Assembly was throwing wrench’s at the Mayor stopping him from doing what is good for the Municipality. Tuck will do what the Assembly wants at the city will continue to loose citizens who can not take anymore taxes as the Assembly spends like a drunkin Sailor.
Not a chance. We do not need a wholly-owned subsidiary of the unions as mayor. Last time we did, they all got sweetheart deals as the mayor was on his way out. Many of them years before they were due.
I find it somewhat……peculiar, to hear Art Hackney talk about bomb throwing and chemical warfare. Here’s a “professional” campaign consultant who has spent his adult life paid to represent individuals and ideas not necessarily in the best of common interests for Alaska. Of course that is my opinion, but were you to track his career, you would see he doesn’t follow a more conservative belief. I believe it’s also reasonable to observe that much of the funding for his efforts comes from “K” street clients.
This is not a personnel attack on Mr Hackney, nor Chris Tuck. It is however, an observation that the “Can’t we all just get along” mentality in this day and age is dangerous. Wouldn’t you rather have an individual willing to fight for the City of Anchorage and its citizens. For that matter Alaska as a whole, since much of what takes place in our City effects the rest of the state.
Do you want a city that ends up looking like Seattle or one that still attracts people because of our “North to the Future” view.
I’ll take the individual willing to fight for an idea any day.
Here’s another idea, Art.
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Mr. Tuck’s IBEW already owns, operates … yes, and represents… a sizeable share of Anchorage.
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Anchorage’s homeless-industrial complex is well represented by the Peoples Assembly.
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Anchorage’s education industry and the Teamsters are well represented by the Anchorage School Board.
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The Alaska Municipal League, the “union” of state and local governments, is well represented by LaFrance.
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Maybe, just maybe, productive residents could be forgiven for -not- wanting yet another damned union hack in city government, running the mayor’s office.
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Maybe the last thing Anchorage needs, as the electric utility’s struggling to go off the rails with its green energy crusade, is a damned IBEW union hack running the mayor’s office?
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No amount of worn out, hackneyed campaign drivel will persuade us otherwise, Art.
Mr. Hackney, I believe you chose the wrong forum to try to persuade people to vote for what is basically a Lefty Light. Please peddle your thoughts to the ADN and the like, they will gladly take it since they are part of the politburo propaganda machine.
If Republicans consolidate around Bronson he might get the 45% needed to avoid a runoff. (Since most of the competition is left leaning)
But that requires consolidation! We cannot afford to split on such a critical matter. Our splitting risks Anchorage completely falling into the Assembly and Leftist rule.
I know Anchorage isn’t a bastion of conservativism. But we need to fight. We cannot give an inch!
Exactly!
How about throwing LaFrance off your list and the rest of the City Council who have made no effort in the last 3 years to work with the mayor on anything. They have done more to obstruct on all issues taken on by the mayor and staff. Also, follow some of the money during the covid crisis and see to whom and where that is all going? Were they ever able to audit the ballot machines used in the Anchorage election? Crickets!
But that requires consolidation! We cannot afford to split on such a critical matter. Our splitting risks Anchorage completely falling into the Assembly and Leftist rule.
…and therein is the strategy of the progressivist and socialists: if enough people can be confused into voting for either Tuck or Popp thinking that they are an acceptable alternative to LaFrance, those votes are taken away from Bronson, not from LaFrance…and probably any run-off will be Tuck / LaFrance, i.e. no good choice for Anchorage.
Bronson is the only alternative to those that want municipal government (the Assembly in particular) to control the majority of the lives of the populace and whom want the productive citizens of Anchorage to devote a greater and greater part of their income to supporting the homeless.
….and to assert that Bronson violated the Charter is simply wrong. That to me reveals the bias behind this post.
Sell your union snake oil elsewhere!!I don’t care what38 AWFLs wrote an opionionabout in the Alaska Pravda. ADN!!
The problem in Anchorage is the democrats, putting a union hack democrat in isn’t going to fix shit. You want a better Anchorage, or a Seattle like Anchorage? The socialist assembly is the problem.
You are 100% correct, Andrew.
Art, hard pass. I will be voted for Bronson. Thanks!
Art Hackney, democrat guest contributor, sponsored by Bill Walker.
Up yours Hackney, how old are you now?
Leave us alone, we don’t need MORE union people at the Muni level, what is wrong w/ you?
Art hasn’t had a good political win for a long, long, time. This is what happens to old men who still want to be in the game, but no longer have any game left. Goodbye, Art. Enjoy your old age.
Art Hackney should know better. Stick with our own kind and the only candidate is Bronson. He has the “R.” Tuck is a Democrat. Hackney supporting a Democrat is always been the issue with AKGOP. They don’t know Who they are and end up deceived into supporting the enemy turning their back on their own.
Chris Tuck is a moderate —something Anchorage might benefit from. The “leadership of extremism” hasn’t served Anchorage very well. Like the radio said, “Bronson and LaFrance had their chance.” It’s time for a change.
It sounds like several people are commenting about concerns related to Tuck’s ties to organized labor. After all, he might end up like that union leader Ronald Reagan. Just sayin’.
Surely you jest, Reagan was head of the Screen Actors Guild. Hardly a rough and tumble group. “I know Chris Tuck and he’s No Ronald Reagan!”
The ONLY benefit of Chris being Mayor is he might “Jimmy Hoffa” several members of the Assembly.
Chris Tuck received the largest APOC violation fine ever in 2014 for mixing campaign and personal funds. Don’t let him get close to muni funds.
Just a little sloppy bookkeeping. Everybody knows electricians don’t get dirty.
No thanks, Art. I’d rather be slid down a 30-foot cheese grater into a pool of alcohol and then rolled around on a beach of salt than vote for Tuck. This is a case where “better of two evils” just gets us a socialist evil.
Ouch! Sound like something that would have happened to me on a Saturday night when I was in college.
A lesson I learned in my freshman year. I like tequila much more than it does me.
Nope.
Ummmmm, no.
This is just another, dare I say it, hackneyed attempt to defend and advocate for more business-as-usual radical leftism lite. No thank you.
If conservatives get off their asses and vote, Bronson should win easily but that’s a very big “IF”.
Art, I knew your Mother and Father, your Father was a very kind and articulate Gentleman, a Preacher who went into Politics and didn’t betray his principles in either calling.
That said, I think it’s telling how the Democrat Party has betrayed your boy Chris. Tuck carried the Democrats water during that ridiculous sham wherein Tuck attempted to portray David Eastman as Satan incarnate. Later Tuck bowed out after redistricting which put him in competition with the commie Josephson, again taking one for the team. And how did the Democrats reward Tuck? They endorsed the ultra commie La France for Mayor.
Tuck has many fine qualities, unfortunately for Tuck being a Democrat in today’s party isn’t one of them.
Art should start picking up trash along Northern Lights Blvd. His old man would be proud.
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