By REP. JAMIE ALLARD
It wasn’t that long ago that the Municipality of Anchorage was run not only by a radical Assembly, but by an even more radical mayor. Three years ago, we dodged that bullet when Chugiak Eagle River showed up to vote and steered the Municipality of Anchorage away from its trajectory of becoming another west coast San Francisco disaster.
But we are not out of the woods yet! This week we have another election to focus on, and it matters more than ever.
Chugiak Eagle River, we are 30,000 votes. That’s equal to all the ballots received by the Anchorage election office thus far. Our votes can help prevent the municipality from backsliding into the tyranny of the previous administration.
I’m proud to endorse Mayor Dave Bronson for a second term in office. When I was on the Assembly, I saw how the political operatives and the media worked to defeat our conservative values. They’ve done the same thing to Mayor Bronson.
You’ve likely seen the “incompetence has a price tag” smear campaign funded by the leftist 907 Initiative, but who has really cost the city more, Mayor Bronson or the Assembly?
Bronson’s 2024 budget proposal came in $12 million dollars under the tax cap, while the Assembly and Suzanne LaFrance continue to raise taxes by adjusting the property tax mil rate on your homes or accepting and implementing an alcohol tax that didn’t meet the voting threshold required by the city charter.
Maybe you are thinking, “What’s the point? Aren’t we going to bifurcate and create our own borough?” That plan, spearheaded by Eaglexit, may be necessary, especially if the Anchorage Assembly and the Anchorage School District continue down their path of destruction. But until then, too much is at stake for us to not take this election seriously.
Chugiak Eagle River needs the freedom to uphold the conservative values of our people. As a neighborhood, we take pride in the strength of our public safety. Families choose Chugiak Eagle River for our safer streets and better schools. We need a limited government that gets out of the way of the market while preserving our family values. We need fiscal responsibility that doesn’t overburden us with exorbitant taxes, we need sustainable revenues and dedicated infrastructure to grow our community.
A mayor like Suzanne LaFrance will punish our conservative district and inflict her progressive ideologies in tandem with the super majority on the Assembly. She voted in lock step with the 9-2 majority to increase spending and taxes, shut down Mayor Bronson’s sheltering plans, implemented plastic bag bans, inflicted Covid tyranny upon the city for years, recklessly spend millions of Covid Relief Funds on pet projects, funding her Assembly buddies and she voted to keep the public out of public testimony.
This is our opportunity to send a message to both the Anchorage Assembly and the Anchorage School Board that we want a more balanced approach. It’s our chance to stand up for the things we care about: our quality of life, effective education for our children, and safe neighborhoods.
Dave Bronson is the ideal mayoral candidate for our community. He prioritizes the Don Young Port of Alaska modernization project to bolster our economy, securing a record $270 million for its advancement. Despite assembly opposition, he’s made significant strides in addressing homelessness by facilitating affordable housing initiatives, Dave has also bolstered public safety with downtown foot patrols and the largest pay raise in history for Anchorage Police Officers. We need his fiscal responsibility and resilience to restrain a runaway assembly.
The Anchorage Assembly consistently obstructs Mayor Bronson’s efforts to advance our city. They halted progress on critical projects, such as the navigation center for the homeless, even interrupting construction midway. Additionally, their expansion of subpoena powers has turned voluntary citizen involvement in our local government into mandatory participation rather than a choice.
Moreover, their opposition to renaming the Port of Alaska after Don Young demonstrates their tendency to politicize every initiative by the mayor, hindering the city’s development. Through the opposition, Mayor Bronson continues to fight for Anchorage and is the only thing that stands in the way of single-party rule.
It is said the world is run by people who show up. It’s time for Chugiak Eagle River to show up and vote. Our community is a beacon for the rest of Anchorage. Whether we stay with Anchorage, or go our own way, our vote must count today.
Voting this weekend is good practice for our upcoming primary and general election season – and for our future vote on creating our own borough — so let’s dig out those ballots, vote like our lives depend on it, and let’s set a new standard for civic pride.
Join me on April 2 in voting for Dave Bronson for another three years of effective leadership!
Rep. Jamie Allard serves in the Alaska Legislature on behalf of Chugiak-Eagle River residents and is a U.S. Army veteran.
