By DANIEL SAGER
While the November elections brought many reasons to be energized, it wasn’t without its share of disappointments in our state races.
After speaking with many conservatives about the next couple of years, it is clear that we have momentum and need to continue to strategize and work together to get things back on track. I want to urge people not to succumb to the feelings of helplessness and gloom and, instead, get involved in any capacity that they are able.
If angrily posting on Facebook isn’t providing the same dopamine hit that it used to, here are three easy ways that you can make a big impact in Anchorage.
Get involved with your House districts
Attending your district meeting is a great way to network and fellowship with like-minded people in your area and make your voice heard at the local level. They’re always eager to welcome new attendees with fresh perspectives, and I can assure you that you’ll make the district chair’s day. Interested in volunteering or learning about the unique challenges and opportunities in your district? This is the place to do it. Sometimes, there are even cookies. Follow this link to find your district chair’s contact and social media page.
Join a municipal board or commission
With numerous open seats on nearly every single board and commission, there’s sure to be one that suits your particular interest or area of expertise. From the Platting Board and the Military and Veterans Affairs Commission to the Public Naming Commission, once approved by the Assembly, commissioners are expected to serve three-year terms and work to advise the Assembly and mayor on matters within the group’s purview. They typically meet once per month for one to two hours in person and via Zoom. The full list of boards and commissions can be found here.
Attend your Community Council meeting
Looking for the easiest way to have a say in your neighborhood? Attending your community council meeting is by far the most bang for your buck (and it’s free). Meetings are held monthly, usually on both Zoom and in person and typically last about two hours. A typical meeting agenda will feature updates from your Assembly, school board and state representatives as well as other exciting business like new speed bumps and adopting a fire hydrant.
At the meetings in my neighborhood of Government Hill, we also get updates from the director of the port as well as from spokespeople at Alaska Railroad and Joint Base Elmendorf–Richardson.
In addition to these, there are sometimes presentations from groups trying to garner support for various initiatives. At the November meeting, we saw a presentation from the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities on proposed changes within the Anchorage Bowl that included reduced speed limits, strengthened enforcement of traffic laws and improved street lighting. They were seeking a letter of resolution and the more of these they have, the more likely it is to come to fruition. A lot of ideas, good or bad, must make it past the community councils before they can get implemented. You can find yours here.
If you can spare a couple of hours per month, you can help implement the change you want to see, and you’ll meet a lot of really great people along the way.
Daniel Sager lives in Anchorage, is chairman of the Alaska Republican Party’s District 18, and serves on the Anchorage Housing and Homelessness Neighborhood Development Commission (HHAND).
Wake up and realize our elections are broken and demand they get fixed – everything from how campaigns are financed, who chooses our candidates, our voter rolls, mail in voting, and machines. Quit pretending that we are being ruled by people who were legitimately elected….make them prove it by forensically auditing these “elections”.
These three ideas do not work to reduce property taxes, solve the homelessness issue, or rampant crime in the city.
The only way those things will be done is with a conservative mayor and assembly.
And since that has has not happened, it just stays bad here.
MOA Taxpayer, just where do you think these conservative mayors and assemblies come from? They get involved locally and see the need. Get involved in your local government and groups – if you don’t get involved, you don’t have room to complain.
Ha ha ha you MUST be new to Anchorage. The lower level community groups are packed with lefties who go two routes: school board or political office. Have you been to a community council meeting lately?
Screw that. Waste of time. We have conservatives who run. They dont win. Why?
The unions and leftys are organized through PACs who pilfer money to trade contracts for votes. Its not new.
You… you might be though.
But, but, but.
We’ll have more cops writing tickets through tougher traffic enforcement.
And the homeless and drug cretins keep doing what they are doing….
I looked at the list of boards. It’s mostly how to spend money. I was hoping to find a board that would incentivize businesses growth.
Why isn’t anyone promoting cruise ships visiting Anchorage? A few years ago we had 10 ships visit. Last year 2. It would grow the dead downtown area and all it would take is some creative thinking. Like free port calls.
How would visiting a “dead” downtown work for the cruise tourists?
Wouldn’t need passports to see a third-world country…
Better to move to the Valley, invest in that community, and avoid Anchorage.
Please stay in Anchorage.
We don’t need the RINO deadwood from ANC in the Valley…
Great advice, Daniel–we need more people willing to step up and get involved. Glad you are leading by example, and giving others information about how to make a difference. Also, it’s not just muni boards and commissions; there are hundreds of openings at the state level where good conservative voices need to be heard: ‘https://boards-cr.gov.alaska.gov/Board-Seat-Vacancies/
Bahaha. Dunleavy appoints conservative voices?
At some point, we will have to vote with our feet and leave this beautiful state. Alaksa has continued to fail it’s residents time and time again. The state comes across as not giving $0.02 for what is in the best interest of it’s residents. If they truly did, they would get a handle on energy costs across the State and not just Anchorage. Anchorage, in my opinion has already drank way too much cool-aid and is not likely recoverable at this point. Conservatives need to leave the area and let it fail. Let the liberal hellhole fail and refuse to bail them out when they come asking for more money.
My downtown representatives basically think I’m a Nazi and reject my conservative views.
No. Trying to work with Anchorage socialists is a waste of your life. Better to take the time to research and implement your exit plan.
All of that sounds fantastic.
Until you realize the Anchorage Assembly had to listen to a record breaking five nights of testimony from the public opposing their homeless plan, but still went ahead and approved it anyway (in an emergency session, no less).
Seriously. The city is not going to get better until we get different people on the Assembly. The current batch has no interest whatsoever in listening to the public. They are too busy spending our money on stuff that make them look benevolent.
.
And you suggestion about attending community council meetings? I can tell you that my CC is a waste of space. They are fully on board with the wants and dreams of the assembly.
Those conservatives living in Anchorage who want to Make Anchorage Great Again must put their time and money to work and 1) campaign for mayor and the assembly, and 2) support other conservatives do the same. Organize. The state Republican Party can make this happen. Talk is so cheap. Bitching and moaning gets us NOWHERE.
Problem with the state Republican Party is that they appear to be a solid part of the uni-party that is helping the democrats to take over this state. People need to find the true conservatives groups and help there.
Exactly.
Republicans have the majority in the last state elections – but the RINO traitors opt to caucus with the Democrats.
Where is the conservative equivalent to the 907 Initiative and Vote Alaska Before Party? Oh, that’s right. There is none. And, the average voter is too busy with sportsball, fishing, and other non-political things to actually pay attention to politics. So, advertising works. Bronson would still be mayor if it were not for the 907 Initiative distorting everything his administration did into some kind of disaster.
Bless you, Sager, for appearing to mean well, but it looks like Alaska GOP Inc., and you, lost the plot some time ago.
.
Your condescension rather proves it.
.
No? Why is Senator Murkowski, seemingly more Democrat than Republican, still a member of the GOP?
.
No? You suddenly pop up, preaching platitudes, luring conservatives to jump in the sack with the very Devil himself, instead of reporting what Alaska GOP Inc., and you, have done to find, fix, and finish the corruption in Alaska’s election system which is what keeps this Devil alive and well?
.
No? Your “Three easy ways” works so well that Eaglexit’s not a thing anymore, school enrollment’s up, productive people aren’t leaving Anchorage?
.
No? Instead of doing the DOGE, saving a buck or two for taxpayers, what’s happening is Alaska GOP Inc., and you, —reward— corrupt city government officials who were so eager to wreck lives and livelihoods with their China flu hysteria, who corrupt the school board, who groom children, who encourage infanticide and child mutilation, who allow the election system to be corrupted, who pass traffic laws which which they knew would kill people, who profit from their own bum-housing policy and the proliferation of bums, etc., etc.
.
You want to reward them with “recommendations on the proposed allocation of all federal, state and municipal revenues targeted for housing and community development programs managed by the municipality.”
.
No? That quote is –first– on the list, Sager. It’s the top “Purpose” of what your Housing and Homelessness Neighborhood Development Commission do.
(‘https://www.muni.org/Departments/health/PHIP/CSD/Pages/HAND.aspx)
.
How’s that working, Sager, if Eaglexit’s still a thing and the Assembly’s trying to force a sales tax on the dozen or so productive residents left behind who can’t finagle tax exemptions?
.
America’s how many trillions in debt but here’s Alaska GOP Inc., and you grovelling for more, “recommending” who gets a piece of the federal pie and how much, so your masters can spread the cash like throwing scraps off a food truck, get themselves re-elected for their generosity, tax the crap out of productive residents to keep the momentum going and themselves out of jail when Eaglexit finally hits and the rest of Alaska decides they don’t want to pay an Anchorage port tax and the city has to default on its bonds? Proud of that, Sager?
.
Quid pro quo? Perish the thought… can’t happen here, right? How does that “recommending” work anyway?
.
Sager, tell us your version of “make a difference” isn’t an amateurish scam to exhort everyone to demand everything until your hard-working Assembly partners just have to force a sales tax to afford everything.
.
And the legislative half of our lobbyist-legislator team, outnumbered 7 to 1 by registered special interests, will totally ignore those special interests and concentrate only on what the masses want which has worked so well so far, no?
.
Sager, you may want to rethink this and try again.
You should give me a call so we can discuss further. It’s more efficient. I’m not going to post it here but my number must be easy to find based on the calls I’ve already received from other readers.
“It is clear we have momentum”????? State Republicans just underperformed President Trump. How on earth can that happen?? And no it isn’t rigged elections. I do agree with you that the biggest impact government has on our daily lives is local and that is not where most Republicans care to play. It leaves it wide open for liberals to put in all their good ideas and becomes the farm team for state candidates as well as their base organization. I wonder how many Trump voters participated in local elections? Is there a way to cross reference that?
You can see who voted but not how they voted. I do know that some republican candidates for the legislature outperformed trump but there were several specific races where the outcome was very disappointing to me, although not surprising.
We have momentum because of the national elections, including Begich. If trump had lost and peltola would have won, that would have taken some serious wind out of everyone’s sails.
Getting involved with your district is a great way to help change the legislature. You can strategize with your area and team up with a candidate that the district decides to back to help win. Every district is different so each district takes a different strategy to win.