By DAVE DONLEY
I am running for the Anchorage Assembly Midtown District 4 in the April 2026 election. I grew up in Spenard/Midtown and served sixteen years representing Midtown Anchorage in the State House and Senate. After nine years on the Anchorage School Board, I am term limited from running again. The Assembly seat I am running for is currently held by Assembly Member Felix Rivera and he is term limited from running for re-election, so it is an open seat.
I am running to make the lives of Anchorage families better. To do that I will work to restore common sense to local government by focusing on three key basics of local government: SAFETY – SCHOOLS – ROADS.
SAFETY:
I will work for safer homes, neighborhoods, and schools by prioritizing the numbers and effectiveness of our police, ensuring prompt emergency fire and medical response, and protecting our neighborhoods and families from criminal homeless activity. The current remedies and responses to Anchorage’s homeless problem are wasteful, failing, and unaccountable. As a first step, Anchorage needs a homeless Navigation Center – such centers are proving highly successful in the lower 48 – to comprehensively provide services to transition the willing out of homelessness.
SCHOOLS:
I will continue to support our students and teachers through assisting schools with transportation, safety, and sports program funding. I advocate fully staffing the School Resource Officer (APD) program which is essential for protecting our children attending schools. As I successfully did as a State Senator and Anchorage School Board Member, I will continue to advocate for fair state funding of Anchorage schools. I will work for greater co-operation between ASD and the city with maintenance services to increase efficiency and reduce costs.
ROADS:
As a State Senator I successfully championed multiple key road projects and transportation reforms for better and safer Anchorage roads. Better snow removal and basic maintenance can be accomplished. A good primary road system protects our neighborhoods from short-cutting speeders.
I have spent my entire career serving the citizens of Anchorage and Alaska. This is my twenty-fifth year of serving in elected office representing my hometown of Anchorage. After nine years on the Anchorage School Board, my twins will be graduating in April 2026, at the same time my School Board term ends.
As a School Board Member, I proposed budget reductions, greater efficiency, patriotic activities, and even fairer pay for teachers. I advocated parental rights and common-sense reforms. I held the Board accountable and proved I will not be intimidated from calling for “Common Sense on SAFETY – SCHOOLS – ROADS” in the Assembly.
My website is donley4alaska.com and I ask for your support now and your votes this April.
Former Senator Dave Donley served 16 years in the Alaska Legislature, is in his third and final term on the Anchorage School Board and has twins in public high school.