In a 5-5 vote, during which Assemblyman Chris Constant appeared to be unable to cast a deciding vote due to a possible technical problem on his phone, the Anchorage Assembly rejected the appointment of Jim Winegarner as the city’s Real Estate director.
The move and method to reject Winegarner appeared to be coordinated among the 9-member majority, and is seen as retaliation for the firing of the former Real Estate director, who had been hired in July, approved by the Assembly, and released in September. Christina Hendrickson is now suing Mayor Dave Bronson under the claim that she was a whistleblower, a claim disputed by the administration.
It’s no secret that the Assembly is trying every tactic to thwart the success of the Bronson Administration.
When Constant made his phone operational again after failing to vote on Winegarner, Assemblywoman Jamie Allard asked for reconsideration for the vote on Winegarner, but could not get support to get Constant’s vote on the record. Constant, the vice chair of the Assembly, was calling into the meeting from home Thursday after emotional outbursts during the Wednesday meeting.
The Assembly had earlier on the agenda voted to move to a later date the confirmation for Joe Gerace as the Health Department director, and Dan Zipay as director of Solid Waste Services. The nine-member majority said they wanted more input from the board of ethics on those two appointments. The assembly approved Brad Coy as the Muni’s Traffic Engineer.
The View up to their no good tactics.
Wait, why are they using their phones for official work? Should work be done on muni equipment, not private?
Unless these are muni phones…
Hum, maybe we are getting what we want: the Assembly won’t confirm leadership positions so the Mayor should do without, thus cutting government and services which we need to cut our taxes. The assembly can’t be the mayor and they should stop trying to be.
It’s simple, they are at war. The Dems do a great job of sticking together, even if they have to destroy the world around them. This has been going on for a long time and to few Republicans have caught on. Some know what’s happening, but far to many don’t. The Dems are fighting a war while the Republicans are playing politics. I like Bronson, but he has his work cut out.
“……… to few Republicans have caught on. ……..”
Your post is mostly correct, except for the quoted statement. We have been in a cultural and political war since at least Watergate or the JFK assassination and intensifying each successive year, but conservatives have been just as aware of it as everybody else. The problem has been that they (and moderates/Libertarians/etc) simply give in to try to maintain order and a viable civilization. Everybody should have known all along from a cursory understanding of human history that such concession has a rather short life and has to come to an end, and what that end would look like. So we are nearly at the door of our combined destinies.
Good luck to you all……..
Takes two to tango. I don’t know how anyone who was paying attention could not have seen this coming.
It takes two to tango (if both parties actually wish to dance), but it only takes one to assassinate.
Correct.
Again, why don’t they just vote to eliminate the position of mayor? More intellectually honest than this.
You can’t use terms like “intellectually honest” when talking about Democrats.
Better yet, just make the Mayor apart of the city-council. That way they can overrride his vote whenever they want. Yes I am being sarcastic.
Though some cities of comparable size are run that way.
The entire Assembly needs a psychiatric examination! Absolute loonies are in control.
That is in keeping with their schematic subterfuge theme at all costs. They want a controlled person on board with their secretive sabotage against property rights of neighbors and country. I am quite tired of human tyranny. The USConstitution is a current thing as is the guaranteed republic.
You elect clowns, you get a circus. It’s a game to these people, assembly members. They have burned through hundreds of millions and accomplished nothing. They are misfits, with chips on their shoulders and a petty outlook, putting government into issues into which it should not be involved. They have no understanding of economics or the viewpoints of people who work hard and pay taxes. Their arrogance and ineptitude is infuriating.
“Journalist”
If the Mayor nominated Forest Dunbar to a position in his administration, this Assembly would reject it.
So they banished Mr. Constant until his recent embarrassment blows over (or so that he will not add to it). This is ridiculous and I wonder how much is fueled by Forrest still smarting from not getting the big chair ? They got used to working hand in hand with Berky and then AQD and now see the mayor’s office as simply an enforcement extension of their power. That Bronson and a considerable number of residents aren’t enamored with their ideas drives them nuts.
Subterfuge
RULE OR RUIN!!
The deviant left rides again
“The move and method to reject Winegarner appeared to be coordinated among the 9-member majority” What makes you think this? It looks like the vote was 5-5. Definitely think there is something fishy with the whistleblower being fired.
sd: As a journalist, Please be very careful with the use of allegations. It is not a secret that you love your base commenters. “It’s no secret that the Assembly is trying every tactic to thwart the success of the Bronson Administration.”
‘Thwarting goes both ways’. An incoming administration should provide the leadership and sharing of information that shows that he/they wish to work with ALL of the Assembly; that represents MANY different constituents and viewpoints across Anchorage, and not necessarily those of the Mayor and a new administration’s agenda; ….which I believe are an extreme departure from past administrations. They cannot “shove it” down the minds of the community just because the new administration thinks their new way is better.
Municipal Manager’s actions and words are often anti-cooperative in nature; and displays a lack of emotional maturity. After many hard-working years supporting the Eagle River-Chugiak areas, she must have realized by now that one never gets everything they want, it is about Compromise – which is not a dirty word.
The lack of self awareness in this post is staggering. For starters:
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“…the Mayor and a new administration’s agenda; ….which I believe are an extreme departure from past administrations.”
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This is the whole point. Anchorage got tired of the direction of the previous administrations. Bronson is the result. Trump’s election wasn’t about Trump, either. It was a rejection of the Obama administration’s policies.
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Secondly, “Municipal Manager’s actions and words are often anti-cooperative in nature; and displays a lack of emotional maturity. ” So the immaturity of Constant’s incessant denigrating of Anchorage residents who disagree with him is what? Statesmanship? Rivera’s tantrum throwing, Quinn-Davidson’s stated disgust with having to listen to public testimony, LaFrance’s shutting down 1A rights of citizens to be heard and participate in the public process, so much so that the Assembly’s own attorney told her to knock it off or risk getting sued is… leadership to you? Be honest, you’re fine with the Assembly’s behavior because it suits your agenda.
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Finally, your suggestion of compromise with this Assembly majority is laughable. Bronson tried that with the mask mandate. There was a compromise, the Assembly demanded that he announce it at the press conference while wearing a mask. He refused so they took the compromise off the table. It’s their way or the highway, which you’re also seemingly pretty comfortable with. The only compromise you and the Assembly will accept is Bronson and his administration bending to your cause. There is no reciprocity or willingness to negotiate. You demand we include the ‘MANY different constituents and viewpoints across Anchorage’ while categorically rejecting viewpoints that oppose your own. The Assembly has demonstrated that on countless occasions. The mask mandate, the homelessness outreach, Bronson’s appointments within the Muni are but the latest examples of their refusal to work with the administration of a duly elected mayor.
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Spare us your tone-deaf and disingenuous lectures on leadership.
Librarykat, in principle I agree with you completely that compromise is the way. However ALL of Mayor Bronson’s proposals (the homeless plan being the most obvious) have been rejected out of hand by the assembly. It certainly appears that they are picking a fight at every turn. Here the mask mandate being the most prominent. After days of testimony, even the most dense person would have to admit that a mask MANDATE is not what the residents want. The compromise way for the assembly would have been to issue a resolution encouraging mask wearing and leave it at voluntary participation. The uproar over Sami Graham as the library director is another non-compromise when all of a sudden a piece of paper became the most important point to be qualified for that job. Yet I was told by an assembly member that a degree in health was not important or required to run the Anchorage health department when Berky appointed the new director.
So Librarykat, when it comes to compromise, it take two to Tango and the assembly’s “my way or the highway” and the “rules be damned” attitude isn’t helping.
As one who used to write for newspapers back before the current polarized climate, I have to agree with this commenter. My editor would have either stricken the line about, “It is no secret…” or would have required me to put a source behind it. Did any of the Assembly Members say for the record that they are actively thwarting the Bronson Administration?
If not, perhaps this insertion should have been left for a separate editorial piece. Not all readers will catch that subtle moment when their emotions and politics are being manipulated.
Middle school mean girls all over again.
The Anchorage Asssmbly is a piss-poor example of how to conduct the business matters they are responsible for. Stop playing politics and start doing the jobs you swore to do!
It seems to me the Assembly believes it is involved in defacto quo warranto proceedings and not reasonable potential employee reviews in service to actual Anchorage residents and taxpayers.
Vote the pathetic losers out.
The spoiled incompetent unethical unqualified assembly would reject anyone the mayor recommends. They are all five year old’s, except for two. The would make a great comedy if it wasn’t hurting people.
The two from Eagle River Chugiak literally shine by comparison with “the nine” in intellect, integrity, personable qualities. Anchorage, should select mature, family oriented conservatives going forward to realign Anchorage with the US Constitution.
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