Anchorage Assembly Vice Chairman Chris Constant wanted to get on the record during the Assembly’s budget and finance committee meeting that he believes the city’s chief equity officer isn’t doing the job properly. Constant is unhappy with Junior Aumavae.
Constant acknowledged that he and other liberal members of the Assembly had lost a lawsuit against the mayor, when they tried to assume duties of the executive branch, saying that any chief equity officer could only be fired if the Assembly agreed to the firing. The mayor had fired the previous chief equity officer, who had been hired just weeks before Bronson took office in 2020. The role of chief equity officer had been established by the Assembly in an ordinance and approved by former Mayor Ethan Berkowitz.
Now, Aumavae is in that role, confirmed as Anchorage’s chief equity officer on March 15 after delays and drama because of the firing of Clifford Armstrong, a Tacoma, Washington man who had been chosen by acting mayor Austin Quinn-Davidson in her final days at the helm.
Constant and Assemblyman Felix Rivera complained Thursday that Aumavae isn’t doing the job properly, according to the job description they created. Constant complained that Aumavae has gone to job fairs and made lots of appearances, but he hasn’t come up with an affirmative action plan or fulfilled the plan left behind by Armstrong.
The job description for the chief equity officer includes supporting policies and programs that promote equity and opportunity, and help the Mayor’s Office recruit and manage boards and commissions to ensure community representation. When Armstrong was in the role, he developed a plan but never executed it, so there is no real roadmap for what a chief equity officer should do to promote equity. But Constant said he expects a written plan and to see those targets and benchmarks achieved.
The Anchorage Assembly majority is now making it a habit of disparaging city workers in public. Some of the members have harshly criticized deputy library director Judy Eledge, who is a conservative, in public meetings. Now, the Assembly leadership has put a target on Aumavae.
The topic came up as the Assembly discussed using the alcohol tax to pay for Aumavae’s salary. When voters passed the alcohol tax in 2020, they were told by the Assembly that proceeds would be used for public safety and first responders, addressing child abuse, sexual assault, domestic violence, mental health, substance abuse and homelessness.
Maybe Junior and Constant need to have a little meeting of the minds ……..out in the back alley. I’ll bet Constant’s whining will come to a rapid end.
Pay per view.. Solve any Muni money issues!!
Affirmative action and equity plan:
Stop doing either and focus on equality and opportunities for all that need more opportunity regardless of gender, race, color, or creed so that the community can continue to handle its diversity better than any other city in the United States. And remove crutches that actually harm people’s ability to excel.
Done.
Moving on to real issues like addiction and homelessness and the seediness of downtown anchorage. How about the raping that is occurring to “bipoc” and other people that are allowed to live lawlessly in our green spaces?
Oh you still want to dispute equity officer thing? Ok. I’ll ask for his resignation and appoint a donkey for the job. You reject that. Ok. Let me search for 6 weeks for somebody better, perhaps a chicken. Did you know that anchorage has a large chicken population and Providence hasn’t hired a single one. We’ll send over somebody to talk to Providence’s equity officer who is obviously not doing his job. It might be because he has never worked HR in his life and the only thing that made him qualified for the position was his skin color and his status in the community made his hiring a powerful virtue signal that helped everyone’s vanity.
I think very revealing how little experience all those members have around samoan co-workers. If i unwisely acted like member constant around my samoan co workers i’d be confronted or worse for being insolent. Best to do around any
tribal peoples be quiet, be a good worker-mind your own business, and be pleasent. They have a phrase ‘ you give respect, to get respect,’
well put
Constant hates Samoans?
Can’t help wondering if Anchorage’s gay mafia would do this if Junior was gay.
Constant reminds me of a small dog. Yapping nonstop, lots of growling, always circling underfoot. No real threat, but highly annoying.
In other words, nothing a well-placed boot can’t fix?
I’d say he is a threat and so are his alphabet cohorts. He can burn your US flag but, if you burn his (pride flag) flag it’s a hate crime. Unequal privilege. That’s a threat.
“…….Constant reminds me of a small dog. Yapping nonstop, lots of growling, always circling underfoot. No real threat, but highly annoying.”
Don’t forget the puddles and doggie bombs left on the floor.
The problem with this ASSembly, Constantly Complaining in particular, is the power of their pen.
They use it as a weapon against we the people.
We the People better start fighting back with our own ink, on ballots voting against them.
Constantly.
You came up with the job description for your “favored son” who was booted out and replaced. Now you are unhappy with the person that took his place and expect tasks/work product outside of the job description? “The job description for the chief equity officer includes supporting policies and programs that promote equity and opportunity, and help the Mayor’s Office recruit and manage boards and commissions to ensure community representation.” Nothing in the description says anyone has to produce anything-just suppor and help recruit/manage, nothing about a “plan”. Get over it.
This is why our Assembly shouldn’t create officer positions within the Executive branch of our municipal government. And just what is the “work” that a Chief Equity Officer is supposed to do? Ensure equity? What does that even mean? History will show anybody that cares to look what happens when Little Despots like Constant, Rivera, LaFrance, and others move to impose their fantasies on their fellow men. I’m sure Mr. Aumavae is far to much of a gentleman to even approach that edge.
First, this equity officer job is the first thing I’d get rid of as its a waste of taxpayer money.
Second, this Constant guy… one wonders if he has some mental illness, perhaps a significant borderline personality disorder. He can’t seem to get along with anyone, and he seems to have a strong sense of entitlement. Maybe a narcissist?
He is into behavioral health. As they say, takes one to know one. I think all 6 of the biggest despots are narcissistic.
YOU are the one disagreeing with Constant and considering a mental disorder for him?
The diversity, inclusion and equity position is such a useless waste of money it’s really it couldnt have just been axed
Typical Chris Constant, the Constant complainer. if he doesn’t get his own way, he complains.
He continues to act, in my opinion, like a spoiled child.
The new equity officer probably has more integrity, sensitivity and intelligence in his little finger then Constant has in his being. I am so sick of tax dollars going to these Assembly members who do nothing for We the People of Anchorage but spend our money foolishly and get nothing done. Time to get them out of office.
Hearing LOTS of complaining by Bronson that he isn’t getting his way on things. Especially here at Must Read AK.
Eledge, who is a conservative, shouldn’t be allowed anywhere near the library. Keep these whackos away from the books
Sweetie, go call your mommy. She can protect you from all of those Conservative bullies.
Sarcasm or arrogant delusion, Jim?
So tell us exactly what eledge is doing that is harmful to children? Is she banning books? Why does the word conservative frighten you so? Where do you come up with the definition whackos?
Peggy, to whom are you replying?
It is clearly not to my comment.
Without Eledge, who is going to keep those whackos away from those library books?
Mr. Rivera might be upset that not enough LGBTQetc people are being hired by the MOA. It also may be difficult to determine how many LGBTQetc people would be enough to satisfy Mr. Rivera. Or how they might be counted.
There’s no such thing as “equity” (attaining equal outcome for all). That’s an impossibility. All you can do is provide equal opportunity. Some people are more talented and motivated than others and will outperform others. No equity officer can prevent that from happening. The mere establishment of this position is a fools’ errand.
Junior is community role model for All to look up to.
Since LGBTQ people make up about 3% of the general population, any equity officer worth his pay would reduce the number of homosexuals on the Assembly, toute de suite. For equity, you know? Equity.
Which is a load of crap, but there you go.
Indeed, Tamra!
.
Anchorage is NOT 40% homosexual, and there is something very wrong — and inequitable! — about our assembly being 40% homosexual. They are by definition NOT representing me and most other Anchorage residents.
“……Anchorage is NOT 40% homosexual, and there is something very wrong — and inequitable! — about our assembly being 40% homosexual……..”
Excellent point. There’s something that Mr. Aumavae can begin working on right away.
Fire Chris Constant.
Why isn’t the media clamoring about racism?? We have a white man picking on a minority. Aumavae should go right to the ACLU and file a complaint. He should also file a grievance with Governor Dunleavy.
Don’t anger the Samoan, it won’t end well for you!!!
In this cold little remote berg, these little brittle misanthropes get away with this nonsense? None dare call it conspiracy!
Bwahahaaaa Jim. Keyboard complainer alllll the way from your bike in the town of Hope. Eyeroll. Stick with bar music, bro.
As for Chris Constant, he never gets it right. Ever.
This equity stuff is a dose of Marxism. That’s not hyperbole either. And “inclusivity” is an Orwellian term that actually means exclude all that don’t agree with us.
Trolls, this is why many people call them the commie 9.
An ideal community for this assembly is one of all different colors and no homelessness because everyone is given free housing if they need it and a guaranteed job, even if it means picking up leaves one at a time. And everyone buys into the system so we are all pulling on the same rope. In other words, there’s only one political party.
Yes that sounds like the USSR and guess what. It worked. Nearly no homelessness in the USSR. If you decided to never work and be bum, you would go to jail or a mental institution. Gasp
Maybe he should make some changes to the assembly’s make up and demand different people on the assembly for a start.
They are clearly biased against AAPI people, serious lack of equity, as there don’t seem to be any on the assembly
He wanted his lefty friend from Tacoma in there and didnt get his way …. WAAAAAAAYYYYYYYAAAA I wanted to be mayor… YOU were mayor last time ! I never get to be the mayor ! WAAAAAAAAA where s my security people and security blanky ? Equity is code for: white conservatives suck.
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