Bronson names new equity officer

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ULUAO ‘JUNIOR’ AUMAVAE IS RETIRED FROM NFL AND DRUG ENFORCEMENT AGENCY

Anchorage Mayor Dave Bronson today named Uluao “Junior” Aumavae as the Chief Equity Officer for the Municipality of Anchorage.

This means he has released the chief equity officer appointed by former Acting Mayor Austin Quinn-Davidson in April. Clifford Armstrong was moved from Tacoma, Washington by the taxpayers of Anchorage to take the political appointment that was created at the request of now-disgraced former Mayor Ethan Berkowitz.

Aumavae recently worked as the community outreach specialist for the Drug Enforcement Administration in Alaska as part of Operation Engage. Aumavae’s role was part of a comprehensive approach that targets the top drug threat in a community, supports drug use prevention efforts, and bridges the gap between public safety and public health efforts. He worked with non-profit organizations, including the United Way of Anchorage, and other entities, including the Anchorage School District, private schools, the Office of the Governor, the Alaska Department of Education & Early Development, the Municipality of Anchorage’s Department of Health, and the Anchorage Assembly.

Aumavae has previously worked for the National Football League Player Association, serving as the Secretary and Vice President. In that capacity, he assisted a diverse group of players in developing a plan for life in the workforce after retiring from professional football. That included connecting the former athletes with leaders in the public and private sectors to help them access the resources and benefits they needed to succeed.  

“Junior Aumavae is the perfect example of someone who has overcome the hardships of life to become successful and strive to help others in need,” said Mayor Bronson. “With his background, experience, and heart, Junior will be a great addition in our efforts to ensure the Municipality of Anchorage’s workforce is more representative of the incredible diversity and talent of Anchorage’s citizens.”

Born in American Samoa, Mr. Aumavae moved to Anchorage with his family as a young child. He attended William Tyson Elementary and Clark Middle School in Mountain View, East Anchorage High School (now known as Bettye Davis East Anchorage), and Palmer High School. As an all-state football player in high school, Junior later attended Western Washington University on a football scholarship where he earned a Bachelor’s Degree in General Studies from the College of Humanities and Social Sciences. Aumavae played professional football with the NFL, IFL, and AFL for teams that included the Dallas Cowboys and the New York Jets, among others.

He is also the founder of Elite Athletic Trend (EAT), a non-profit that works with youth in athletics to develop successful life skills and civic engagement, ensuring communities are vibrant, resilient and strong. Through EAT, he has worked with troubled youth to teach them how to obtain academic excellence, while learning how to live healthy and active lifestyles.

Aumavae started his new job October 11, 2021.

The chief equity officer position was created by the Assembly last year with an ordinance that said the person holding the position cannot be fired without the permission of the Assembly, but the administration obviously doesn’t interpret it that way. Armstrong hasn’t shown up at City Hall for weeks, according to sources, and has scarcely been seen since Bronson took office. His whereabouts is unknown. He was making $115,000 per year.

The NAACP issued a news release claiming Clifford was fired illegally “in attempt to cover up report of Municipal record on equal opportunity in hiring.”

Read: Mayor Berkowitz seeks to add equity officer to his cabinet

Read Tacoma man hired for Anchorage equity officer

35 COMMENTS

  1. It would certainly appear as if the old equity officer thinks his job is secure enough that he doesn’t even have to show up for it. I’m sure this will cause another assembly action in defiance of the Mayor’s action because he didn’t have approval of the assembly, almost as if that was the plan. Every action the assembly takes part in is to create disruption in the executive administration. We saw the very same thing during the Trump Presidency. Disrupt, disrupt, disrupt so that that good achievements are hardly noticed.

  2. Hahaha! “His whereabouts is unknown.” I hope the Assembly knows where to send that sweet $115K per year though. This part of AWOL should definitely be mentioned at the meeting where he certainly won’t be attending.

  3. The title of that position needs to be changed immediately. Equality. Appreciation and celebration of cultural diversity that strives to preserve cultures and the best things from the many different ones. That’s what needed. NOT HANDING OUT “EQUITY”

  4. Junior is a good man.
    He has mentored many young people over the years.
    Always set an example in the Palmer High school community.
    Much respect.

    • To advance the Socialist’s Communist agenda, being a planed economy. The position Defines success as equality of relative outcome. Giving the government an excuses to take peoples property and economic choices away in efforts of manifesting economic outcomes, not inputs, as tracked by demographics.

      This article interprets this situation as equality of opportunity. This is a misconception, this is not the job. Equality of opportunity (more pressures on teachers, vouchers for boarding schools, mentorship/professional programs, other social capital injections that boost an individuals inputs) do no favors for the socialist party. It damages the socialist party. Self-sufficient people need no socialist government provider, they provide for themselves.

      The strategy is to deliver consumables or special arrangements to the “lower” average quantity demographic, in a way that is revocable. This allows Democratic socialists to fortify their power in government by creating a position that cannot be voted out, that has an objective to strictly carry out the economics of communism being: economic redistribution and invasion of private market transaction. This horror of this reality, is spoken of only in secret, it is sold to the public as vaguely “equity and inclusion”.

      This strategy to bring forth communism in the Smithian market based west is first devised by Gramsci and most recently been modified and distributed by Kendi in “how to be an anti-ractist” which answer is, be a communist… is other words according to the book.

      The way to handle this would be to define success and bring the argument to the light of the public by dropping the obfuscation where this strategy brings its edge. The intention confusion and hiding in ambiguity has been EXTREMELY rewarding to the democratic socialist’s party to bring forth the planned economy. If we can keep arguing over definitions of variables, they have one. If i can plainly say, spreading racial shame in classrooms is wrong. Or punishing/rewarding people based on their peers actions is wrong. Then ending with how casualty to these decisions lay waste to everyone.

      The worst enemy of the modern communist is a right wing champion of “diversity and inclusion” weaponizing their own obfuscation against them. We of course bring our own definitions.

  5. Thank you Mayor Bronson for cleaning up the mess made by the leftist / totalitarian Assembly. Looking forward to the elections to have these folks removed. Can’t come to soon.

    • Being a no show for weeks, seems to be a good enough reason for dismissal. Time to stop with assembly appointed positions. Exactly why are the property tax paying citizens financing a city attorney and a assembly attorney? All MOA employees, such as the clerk should answer neither to the Mayor, nor the assembly. If you are not performing, or leaning to one or the other, sounds like terms for immediate dismissal. Govt jobs should not be 100% no matter ones behavior.

      • Being a no-show weeks would seem to be similar to…. oh… and maybe I’m just spit-balling here….. people who are wholly unqualified to perform the duties for which they are appointed? Such as the never-ending clown-car of people this inexperienced, unskilled mayor has appointed to most positions within his administration? Yeah. Hard to make that “grounds for dismissal” argument when Bronson’s administration is basically populated with them at the highest levels.

        • “People who are wholly unqualified to perform the duties for which they are appointed”
          .
          Would you perhaps also be referring here to municipal asse-embly members illegally attempting to act as doctors and social engineers? Or the same masquerading as people with, oh, any level of intelligence, honesty, decency, and respect for the public?

      • Awesome! My response to you, alluding to the people Bronson has populated his administration with, was deleted in less than 60 seconds. You just can’t make this s**t up.

        • Uh you just did make it up. In your defense you’re new here and you should know that all comments are moderated for name calling and bad behavior and it takes awhile for the comments to be moderated. And FYI, typically people in your spectrum get way more leeway, as your comments demonstrate.

          Your comment is nothing but false equivalency and name calling with no facts or reasoning. Just false equivalency and whataboutisms. One wrong according to your poorly presented opinion doesn’t make an obvious wrong ok.

        • Guess you don’t know how the comment system at MRAK works. Please list the Mayors admins that are not showing up and performing their duties. You appear to be quite upset that the illegal Mayors appointment has been replaced. Quinn-Davidson acted illegally when she continued on as Mayor with out running in and winning a special election 3 months after stepping in for Berkowitz. Anything act or EO she authorized after 3 months should be ignored and or challenged in court, due to the breaking of the Anchorage Charter.

      • This no show claim is clearly bs propaganda. Bonson JUST reviewed a draft of his equity report… he was obviously working. Y’all will say anything to stir the pot…

  6. Equity officer… That’s left-wing religious policing.
    The position is designed to give minority and lgbt people an ADVANTAGE over every day white people. It’s the exact opposite of equality, because everything leftists do is the opposite of what’s right and true. That’s not to say that everything republicans do is right by the way – there are plenty of republicans making a mess of things in Alaska/USA.
    Conservative ideology is rooted in individual freedom, accountability and responsibility. Left-wing ideology has become a twisted religion filled with a mostly rabid zealots who have no moral compass, and is all about taking freedoms away, no accountability & responsibility. How the two sides will ever coexist from this point on is beyond me. Liberals simply won’t tolerate any thinking that’s different than their own – like any/all religious zealots.

  7. According to this article, Clifford Armstrong has not been at work for weeks. The mayor can rightfully argue that Clifford abandoned his post, especially if the mayor has proof of attempts to contact him without success. This should fulfill the “for cause” requirement.

  8. I’m sure there will be “problems” here, but I’m glad junior may get the job. A local hire is the right choice for this made up job

  9. The larger question is if Austin Quinn-Davidson’s appointment as mayor was even legal. If the Assembly sues, that needs to be brought up as part of the response to the lawsuit.

    This appointment is the right man for the job, not some leftist carpetbagger from the lower 48. Keep up the good work Mayor.

  10. Anytime you hear the word “equity” just read it as “discrimination”. If you are taking an action based on membership in a protected class, whether that action is positive or negative, that is discriminatory.

  11. Brilliant!
    .
    Mayor Dave turned a dysfunctional liability into a community benefit, good for the town and annoying to certain Assembly members.
    .
    Thanks, Mr. Mayor.

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