By DANIEL SMITH
The majority of the Anchorage Assembly is drunk with power. Like a chronic inebriate panhandling on the corner any given major Anchorage midtown intersection these days, they do not want to do the hard work. They do not want to do the honest work. They do not want to do the peoples work. The tyrants on the Assembly instead want to deny the citizens of Anchorage their right to choose their own mayor.
The sponsors of the latest ordinance to overthrow the mayor need another fix or another shot of the hard stuff or maybe both, to quench their thirst for power. It is not enough to have a veto-proof majority that can override Mayor Dave Bronson and his quest for freedom. The sponsors of AO 2022-60 and those who will vote for it are once again choosing force over the citizens of Anchorage.
These members of the Assembly are very aware of the power their majority gives them, but do not want to be restricted by the will of the people or the friction that another separate and equal branch of government may offer. The hard work of discussion and debate on an issue is too much for them. They want complete control and they will not stop until they gain it.
In spite of overwhelming public testimony against their drunken quest for power, they will push and exceed the limits of a sober-minded body. They will claim to have received many emails in support of their mayoral overthrow ordinance. These emails, if they exist, will not be verified as having come from actual Anchorage voters. The mere proclamation of a consenting view is good enough for them. They will claim their use of force is for the good of our city. They will claim a heavy hand is necessary to remedy the homeless, mental health and drug abuse issues that plague our city. They will make myriad excuses for their behavior, just as the alcoholic does before and after beating their children and spouse.
The eight socialists on the Anchorage Assembly are seemingly unaware of the damage they do. They will wake up the next day and have a vague recollection of a struggle that they believe was noble and necessary. In reality, the voice of Anchorage residents at the June 1 special Assembly meeting was an outcry from their constituents. Citizens pointed out the bad judgment by the Assembly tyrants and pleaded for them to stop before the damage is irreversible. The abusers on the Assembly will carry on with their abusive behavior until everything they have touched is broken. They are abusers in the most literal sense of the word. They abuse their power to the extent that they intend to ordain themselves with more power.
The honest work begins with admitting that all nearly of the Assembly-generated policies and programs have failed. The Covid lock downs were extremely destructive to our city. Only those people and business deemed essential by our Assembly emerged whole or in some cases better. Imagine being declared an “unessential business” or “unessential worker” by someone in elected office. No imagination is actually necessary — it happened and many suffered. If this was not a breach of public trust, what is?
The problems and attempted solutions associated with the homeless population continue to grow and require an honest assessment. The actions of our Assembly have only helped to enable and grow the homeless population as more and more individuals are attracted by the gifts our Assembly gives: Free housing, free food, and the freedom to deny contributing members of our community the use of our public spaces are the gifts our Assembly offers, all funded by those that actually work to pay the bill.
Anchorage does not have the luxury of waiting this out and hoping the eight remaining tyrants will free themselves from their addiction to power. After the Assembly votes to approve their own power grab, immediate legal action must be taken. The bond that protects them and their actions must be used as a method of self-defense by Anchorage residents. This Assembly has for many years broken and abused the power of their office. The Assembly is too powerful in its current form. They themselves are the ones that have breached the public trust, not the mayor.
With a hobbled executive branch of government that AO 2022-60 delivers, the reigning assembly tyrants will be free to award themselves an ever increasing amount of wealth through their homeless industrial complex businesses and other discretionary spending. They will buy favor from any group or individual that they can influence or for whom they can purchase another expensive house. They will continue to do this with our property tax dollars and federal income taxes monies collected and passed back to them.
The Anchorage Assembly needs an intervention. Where the assistance comes from is still uncertain. No doubt, the recipients of Assembly abuse will resolve to continue the push back but more will be necessary.
There are three branches of government for a reason, one of which is to avoid the consolidation of power in the hands of a few radicals or even the majority. AO 2022-60 allows the legislative branch to break through the intended barrier between the branches and seize control of the executive branch.
Specifically, language has been added by the author(s) of AO 2022-60 which allows removal of the Mayor from office for a list of 12 things but are “not limited” to those 12 things.
In other words, there is no limit to the list of things that could constitute a breach of trust. This is clear legal language and despite the opinion of Assembly’s legal counsel, translates simply to “any reason.” Any reason at all is a good one to remove the mayor, if you don’t agree with the mayor’s position, under this ordinance.
A very good question has been raised: Why now? Why not when the previous pants-free mayor or illegally appointed and unelected eight-month mayor held office? Better yet, why not when this issue was considered and yet not drafted in 1993? The answer to the last question is because the Assembly at that time knew that it was illegal and violated the city charter.
This proposed ordinance is not a simple clean-up of some old unfinished business from roughly 30 years ago. This is new stuff. This is a very transparent grab at complete political power. Voters of Anchorage did not want the other candidates for mayor. The majority of Anchorage voters like Mayor Bronson and the direction he is going. The thing that probably keeps eight of the Assembly members up at night is knowing that they are wrong. Yet they keep going down this dark totalitarian path anyway. They need to stop doing things that they know are illegal.
People who knowingly commit crimes are called criminals. Criminals get to live in a special place called jail.
The very act of an Assembly member voting in favor of this ordinance is probably a greater breach of public trust than failing to hold a special election when Berkowitz resigned in disgrace and left a vacancy in the mayor’s office. AO 2022-60 is a structural breach of trust and not a one-time willful act of negligence.
The people already have ways to remove elected officials from office if they choose. This is not the business of the Anchorage assembly. We have many more pressing issues to tackle.
Dan Smith is a lifelong Alaskan and Anchorage resident who writes for Must Read Alaska.
If you were trying to ruin this city would you do anything different than the liberal members of the assembly?
“The hard work of discussion and debate on an issue is too much for them”
A fact that has been demonstrated time and time again.
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“They will claim to have received many emails in support of their mayoral overthrow ordinance.”
How many e-mails constitute “many?” They made a similar claim when they were trying to put the homeless in residential neighborhoods. “A lot of people…” Curiously, none of the Assembly members I contacted could give me any idea of what “a lot” meant.
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Over the past two/three years the Assembly has demonstrated clearly that they are not interested in hearing from the public. They knowingly put the most controversial items at the very end of the agenda, and when public testimony time happens, they start cutting people off, and having them removed. And, because the meeting is running long, they decide to have a special meeting, held in a tiny conference room, during working hours. This ensures all those pesky people opposed will not be able to attend.
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I cannot name a single thing this Assembly has done that is not the action of a tin-pot dictator or petty tyrant. About the only relief is that LaFrance has stopped using the word ‘dilatory.’ That was really getting on my nerves.
If “a lot of emails” worked, we’d be getting the statutory PFD.
“The hard work of discussion and debate on an issue is too much for them.” The protest should focus on the failure of the assembly to show the need for this power and why the other lawful provisions are inadequate. The discussion and debate are crucial to understanding the flagged flaws and to be certain the proposed remedy corrects the problem. It appears the comment period is not adequate to address the issues and chaotic meetings simply frustrates all involved. Could the assembly provide a televised balanced forum to systematically discuss the proposed ordinance? Clearly there’s a crisis of trust and understanding and not just a power play vs. overcome tyranny. I think that a better understanding is critical in a representative government on an issue that alters the weight and influence of the balance of the branches of our government.
I would not give them credit for thinking they are being noble. They know very well that what they are doing is WRONG, but that’s fine with them, because they are EVIL.
Correct
Not sure I agree.
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I believe they are convinced that they ARE doing right. That they were elected to “change the city” into what they envision. There is no benefit from being an evil overlord. Every action taken by dictators/tyrants/etc… are usually framed as “for the greater good.”
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This assembly has shown an absolute disdain for our Mayor. There have been how many ordinances and measures passed to move power and authority from the Executive branch to the Legislative branch? How many ordinances have been passed solely to draw the Mayoral veto, and subsequent override?
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But, the assembly is doing it because they are convinced Mayor Bronson is constantly overstepping his bounds. In their opinion, opposing the Assembly wishes is the tyranny that everyone in the City needs protection from.
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I need look no further than the cooperation they provided the previous Mayor and Acting Mayor. Everything, no matter how ridiculous, no matter how much it was opposed by the public, was rammed through.
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Their actions may result in evil, but I am convinced they believe they are the good guys.
Would someone please post the oath they took before assuming office?
Correct!
My sentiments exactly! Thank you Mr. Smith! More voters should display their opinion also…we still live in America!
The Marxist Eight (soon to be Nine again) are not just criminals, they are sociopaths, and they are evil. It is really that simple.
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Evil must be opposed by any means necessary. ANY means.
Randy Sulte needs to hit the ground running and stop placating them already the degenerate Pride Month crap.
This is what Bolshevism looks like.
All the way up through the slaughter, “If you would just give us absolute power…..then! we’ll really fix everything.”
“No, I don’t think we will.”
“Drunk with Power”? How about Stoned with Stupidity? Or Ideological Idiots?
Wouldn’t be nice if: there were directors of departments with names who were available to speak to the public like they used to do? A few departments are dishing out customer service but bye and large? Covid. Covidites are trying to revive the culture again. (Municipal) corporations need worker bees or they have to close. Dun and Bradstreet report ($130) might have some talking points among the neighborhoods of the Corporation of Anchorage.
when the BERK clan uses the word ” climate migrant ” you need to pay attention. they have waited for a long time for the coming crisis and will provide ” free’ legal help, since most are members of the bar association.
As long as the God, flag, family crowd doesn’t vote in local elections – this what you get.
This group of council members are the type of people that comprise and do the bidding of totalitarian governments.
You know what is the root of narcissism and the narcissist? Shame. They are hiding a lot of shame. They feel unloved. The further we move away from the God of isreal the more narcissistic characteristic we develop instead of moving in repentance to God learning humility and empathy seeing God’s great love for us . Be good to understand narcissism to effectively communicate with narcissistic people without losing your sanity.
You know what a liberal democrat and ungodly does for me? Their presence strengthens my patience. the trial teaches me self control, peace, joy, love, humility, and learning how to endure longsuffering. There is a reason that is good outweigings their bad. What the enemy will use for our bad, God uses for our good. Or we can sit on the nearest tree stump cursing why God hasn’t done good to us. Joseph in genesis he perservered through all his disappointments and setbacks. Its the
disappointments God use as the resistence like a pencil in a sharpener it shaves at the old to make a sharper lead point. Growth is painful.
If you are going to try and teach people about narcissism, it would be good to know the definition of it as it doesn’t match what you are trying to comment about. I don’t agree with all of Chris’s concerns or pushes on the assembly, but I have witnessed more selfless acts, than selfish acts. Nor do I think you should hold him accountable to your religious views as he doesn’t follow them, so there is nothing to be held accountable by those standards you put out.
It’s a choice. Choose you this day whom you will serve God or maman. The problem with serving Satan is he is YOUR total enemy. He wants people dead and he is serious about that. He has agents. He is smart and he is jealous of people (your POSSIBLE spiritual standing approved forever contrasting with his eons of wrong moves. Heavenly Dad is returning and Satan is going into the pit. He is mad about this; he wants a lot of bodies stuck in his pit with him to muncho on).
It used to be that ALL testimony-
meaning All emails, etc., became:
– a part of the record
– included online for public view.
And just think, one of the head ‘drunks’ on this Assembly is running for Congress! Chris Constant. Really? Where do these leftist ideologues come from? We just had an election that should have rid Anchorage from some of these chaos producers. Instead, the people of Anchorage reelected some of them. I do not live in Anchorage but the dysfunctional government that these people creates, has a very negative affect on the economy of Alaska’s largest city. When Anchorage struggles, Alaska falters. So, let’s show Constant the door on the first ballet on the first round (50%+1). of the rank choice voting scheme. Constant is a disgrace on the Assembly and would be a total disaster in Congress.
Well said!
If there is an audit, Comrade Constant may find himself unable to run for Congress let alone stay
latched on the public teat.
*eye roll* assumptions that form opinions which become a norm, and pushed as factual, is really not the best way to get any points. Any government employee doesn’t have to abid by any religious views for one, as it is not a requirement. And if you push for Christianity, see Roman’s 13: 1-7 where it counters pretty much everyone who is trying to implement God in the matter.
“Gay rage” is what drives these narcissistic, snippy little sissies. They are highly confused with their own homosexuality and hate those that don’t accept their deviance. This is Freudian 001.
There were no male strippers present, hence his lack of attention.
the despicable arrogant socialists are doing this because they CAN ; most of them just won their reelection bids. So they don’t care about democracy and the constitution and separation of powers. They hate the mayor and want him gone, and f*** the voters that put him there.
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