Talk about growth of government in a shrinking population: Over the last 10 years, while Democrats increasingly took over the Anchorage Assembly, the Assembly has increased its own operating budget by more than 234%. Its budget went from $1.3 million in 2015 to $4.4 million for last year. The number of its full time staff increased nearly 60% (from 12 to 19).
By contrast, over the same period of time the Mayor’s Office budget has increased 8%, but with the same number of positions.
How much of that increase ends up in the assembly members and their cronies’ pockets?
I hope we find out soon!
Well at least we are getting a great bang for our buck, NOT!
The Big question is have we seen any measurable improvement for the spending that has exceeded inflation.
Less homeless?
Lower crime?
Safer communities?
Improved educational test scores.
Are the roads plowed better?
Is there more landscaping in our green spaces?
Less urine and human excrement on our downtown streets?
Less trash, garbage piles, graffiti in our public spaces?
More affordable housing?
Dynamic increase in job creating entrepreneurlism due to lower taxes and regulations?
Everyone knows the answer – regardless of one’s political affiliation.
The local politicians have achieved a level of failure unfathomable 20 years ago.
It’s really sad to watch Anchorage’s slow but steady decline.
Shame and a pox upon your houses you failing politicos…
Well, as far as plowing is concerned, I’m extremely impressed. There is absolutely no snow on the roads at all. (Sarcasm)
I think that means, per an assembly member, that LaFrance is managing a winter city well.
In about six months or more the federal DOGE team will have nearly completed a Master Class in federal spending cuts. If I were a member of the Anchorage Asssmbly I would take notice as the American public will want across the board cuts in every facet of state, city and public office reductions!
And yet you keep voting them in, Anchorage.
You must want this.
It seems most people in Anchorage don’t bother voting at all. 🙁
True. True. Sad. Can’t expect change without changing the party in charge!
The unions want this. They are paid to vote this way. We aren’t paid to vote, so we don’t. I do. And most of the people here do. But we are outnumbered by the union voters.
Yet another feckless post from the master! Surely you can’t remember this same gem every time? Got this little beauty saved on your home screen for this and future cut and paste opportunities, eh? Can’t wait to hear that one again; it demonstrates such depth of thought.
Anything else you can parrot ad infinitum?
The truth really hurts you.
Anchorage deserves what they get, the Anchoroids voted for these far left wacko Assembly Loons, nobody to blame except themselves 😂
You don’t know what votes counts were, you know only what you’re told vote counts were.
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Vote count’s reported by municipal employees who work for Assemby members running for re-election,
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…who operate electronic vote-counting gear running on proprietary software, into which thumb drives of unknown provenance can be stuck any time,
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…who can toss your ballot for any reason they wish and may or may not tell you about it, unbeknownst to you,
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…who know voter-registration records are inaccurate, but won’t correct them.
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…and that’s before we get to the mail-in, the chain of custody part..
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Sure and it’s an awful thing to contemplate, the very foundation of our republic undermined, but there it is and not going away until people like us stop tossing blame and emojis about and decideto do what’s necessary to have no more of the corruption.
TIME FOR PAPER BALLOTS. AND LICENSE VERIFICATION…
Ahem Harley, I am assuming you do NOT live in the municipality.
The mail-in-ballots ARE paper ballots and in an of themselves not the issue. The issue here is the chain-of-custody for each ballot, as the Muni papers the entire city with ballots.(which ironically are printed in Washington state) No real control over who actually filled out those ballots. Last time several of my neighbors did NOT get a mailed ballot and had to vote a questioned ballot.
What we need is an initiative to move the muni election back to November and turn it back into an in-person election with the state or federal elections.
It is clear after years of practice that the “goal” of dramatically increasing voter turn-out has not materialized. In fact it has disenfranchised many, who either did not get a ballot (and so did not realize there was an election on) or have no trust in the system any longer
Boss Tweed leaning on the ballot box with a sign that reads “In counting there is strength.” Boss Tweed. “As long as I count the Votes, what are you going to do about it?” Boss Tweed: Remember the first rule of politics. The ballots don’t make the results, the counters make the results.
They probably haven’t discovered the computer. How many people are they using to screw in a light bulb?
Its a bit hard to fit in that light bulb, but Chrissy would do his form of screwing in one
IMO it’s the binding coalitions that really upset the apple cart. Why do we always elect RINOs that vote with the demon rats?
“Binding coalition”???
We are talking about the ANCHORAGE assembly here.
You are thinking of the binding caucus in the state legislature…not the same thing and does not apply here, Vince.
They followed the democrat map. Other than myself how many other Republicans are here in Mountain View? Not many as we are a dumping ground for every body who comes to Alaska. That’s the problem.
In the end, these people make housing less affordable, and destroy our quality of life. Home ownership has become a myth.
You merely rent your home from the government.
We’d be better off without the parasitic MOA.
The property taxes are up by about 9%. Foreclosure in the Anchorage Borough and in the state is getting out of hand thanks to the new mayor, banks and savings and loans and the real estate industry and the delusional governor Dunleavy. Rotten potatoes are just that, rotten potatoes.
To really find some waste DOGE Alaska should be looking at what our Governor and his Attorney General have been doing supporting crazy national lawsuits.
Why is the April 1 Municipal Election “from home only” There is no in-person voting? this looks like a set-up for election interference. They know that Republicans showed up in person in droves for the Federal Election.
Voter Resources
The next Regular Municipal Election is Tuesday, April 1, 2025.
Anchorage votes at home, which means ballot packages will be mailed to your mailing address on record in the State of Alaska voter registration database. For Regular Municipal Elections, ballot packages will only be mailed to qualified Anchorage voters, at least 21 days before Election Day.
You can go and “vote in person.” But, in reality, you fill out a mail in ballot, and the poll worker drops it into a ballot collection box for you. So… no different than voting at home and dropping it into a ballot collection box yourself.
Not quite, CBMTTek.
When you go to a vote center your ballot has a chain of custody almost in the same way a regular in-person vote does. You drop your ballot into the ballot collection box INSIDE the voting location and election workers are present at all times, taking responsibility for the deposited ballots. It is my understanding that ballots are transferred at the end of the day to the election center on Ship Creek. The difference, in a state in-person election the machine will also count your vote, as well as store your ballot and both items are transported to the central counting facility. Dropping your ballot in any old outside drop box or in the mail has absolutely no chain of custody attached, so for myself I take the extra few minutes out of my way to get my ballot to a vote center inside ballot box.
So, at the end of every day, someone picks up the ballots from the box at the election center and brings them to Ship Creek election central.
And, this person is incapable of “losing” some ballots? They are not capable of “substituting” ballots?
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With mail in voting there are several people taking custody of your ballot. With drop boxes there is what… one less? Voting in an election center removes… well… the exactly same level of people as using a drop box.
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Not convinced I am wrong here.
When I asked at the vote center in ER, I was told that election workers will transport the secure (locked) ballot box to the election center to deposit them there until counting commences. This is no different than any in-person state election. After the precinct closes, ballots are taken by election workers to the state election office. In either case you have election officials transporting ballots instead of your mail carrier or them sitting in some outside box for however long. In a system that is rife with uncertainty, I will take the one small step to eliminate at least one variable. In the past I have dropped my ballot directly into the ballot box, which was situated on the counter at the center in Ship Creek, but I am not sure if they still let you do that.
“Why is the April 1 Municipal Election “from home only” There is no in-person voting? ”
Good question ML.
I suggest you email the assembly and ask them. Let them know you have concerns.
Many years ago the assembly voted (no it was not a vote of the residents of Anchorage and done over great objection) to go to mail-in municipal elections to ostensibly “raise turn-out”. That goal has not materialized and this mail-in election is about twice as expensive to run than in-person elections. This of course follows the wisdom of moving the muni elections to April several years before that.
There is IN PERSON voting..Downtown city offices or AT Loussac Library. If we all show up to vote in person, like we did in Nov..Double check out the ADN when they post candidates and the Propositions.
And they keep getting elected! Whose fault is that?
Fair question!
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We don’t know whose fault it is because we don’t know what votes counts were, we do know only what we’re told the vote counts were.
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Don’t want to bore you with a repeat of what we said to Jim K above… seems like we’re close to a boiling point… why should you and everyone else feel they have to ask such a question, what’s likely to happen if enough people don’t get an answer, at least one which makes sense to them?
Massive gerrymandering
Mail in ballots where you have no idea whether your ballot is accurately counted.
An election day that does not correspond with National or State elections, guaranteeing lower turnout.
All add up to ensuring the incumbents win re-election.
I doubt you’ll find the idiots that vote for these clowns on this site. Thats too bad!!!!!!
Pretty impressive. Democrats here like in DC manage to turn everything they do into a money grab for themselves, family and supporters. They must be very proud as are the union droids who put them into power. Cheers –
There should be significant concern about the validity of the voting system in Anchorage!
Judging by the picture of Felix, there is only a little bit more bloating before the explosion.
Anyone ever seen Monty Python’s: The Meaning of Life?
Gaston? A bucket for Monsieur.
Time to End Property tax nationwide.
Lets start in Alaska Governor. Hurry!
This is going to happen.