By JAMIE ALLARD
Great leadership is not about having all the answers, it’s about motivating people to do what’s right. Great leaders will listen to the concerns of their constituency and make principled policy decisions. Great leaders have the vision to employ the individual strengths of their team to accomplish a strategic end state.
Principled politicians are loyal and trustworthy. They will keep their campaign promises. They will listen, learn, and respond according to principled values. They will attract competent staff with the same commitment, dedication, and devotion to those values. Integrity and selfless service are not just “buzz-words”; they are the foundation of competent leadership. Great leaders set the example for others to follow.
A successful government requires great leadership. Elected officials manage budgets, set policies, and establish law. Elected officials are entrusted by their constituents to follow statutes and make principled decisions. We should expect performance excellence from both our elected officials and their staff. Leaders should seek and accept all responsibility for the performance of their team.
Juneau is a tricky place. Some legislators surround themselves with staff who influence their decisions and negatively impact their votes. This is not the type of insightful representative leadership they were elected to provide. We, as lawmakers, must lead by example and stay true to the values for which we were elected. Working with those who lie, cheat, and/or steal is an abomination to the U.S. Constitution, the Alaska Constitution, and to those Alaskans who demand honesty, integrity, and loyalty.
As Alaskans, when we send a representative to Juneau, we trust they are going to serve the community they represent to the best of their ability. They must listen to the concerns of the constituents, and vote accordingly. They must keep their campaign promises, prove their trustworthiness, and remain loyal to their principles. They must adjust to the demands of their constituency and respond accordingly. They must motivate their staff to address adjustments to policy. If the staff is unwilling to do so, they should be replaced.
Leaders are responsible for the actions of their team and are accountable to their constituents for their actions. The team should receive credit for the success, but the leader hods the sole responsibility for failure. As Alaska voters, it is our duty to hold these elected officials accountable. If elected officials don’t meet our standard of excellence, fire them at the ballot box.
Legislators work for you, your community, and the great state of Alaska. Vote wisely on Nov. 8, and remember to hold your elected officials accountable.
Jamie Allard is an Anchorage Assembly member for Chugiak, Eagle River and JBER, and is a candidate for House District 23.
I wonder whether your lofty comments about a politician’s ethics, values, and responsibilities apply to Anchorage mayor Dave Bronson who hired Niki Tshibaka, devoid of actual experience and common sense, as the Muni’s Human Resources director. Further, I’d like to know whether the mayor takes responsibility for hiring Joseph L. Gerace as the Muni Health Director after he (Joe) submitted a fraudulent resume AND failed to provide supporting documentation for the two master’s degrees and physician assistant credentials he lied about having along with the military rank he did not achieve. Why did the mayor give Joe a pass for his failure to pay child support payments in Washington that, according to court records, were substantially over due (among other problems)? Whom do you suggest we “hold accountable”? Mayor Bronson or his appointed, inexperienced and otherwise busy HR director Niki Tshibaka?
Do they apply to you?
I appreciate Ms. Allard’s respectful column – there is much truth here and a much needed check on the radical drift of the Anchorage Assembly and bureaucracy and their ethics.
Since when is following the law a radical drift?
You know we voted in the Assembly, as well as the mayor.
Barbara. Your comments are spot on. The Bronson administration has failed.
“The Bronson administration has failed …”
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… to kowtow to the insane, suicidal, socially destructive, freedom-robbing, insidiously radical leftist political agenda of the ass-embly’s Marxist Nine.
You mean ethical leadership like this? If people haven’t seen this video please watch it all the way through.
‘https://www.facebook.com/TheBlueAK/videos/357162849688516/?app=fbl
Please. You bully and twist nationalism with patriotism, creating division in the town your represent, so the fact that this is written by you is pretty ironic. You supporters bully people who don’t agree with you. Leadership (the kind that is earned and not mandated by military position and rank structure) is not a subject I believe is in your bag of skills. Thanks for the chuckle.
Projection is a well used tool of the left.
Good job comrade.
The mear fact that your reference to “The Blue Alaska” speaks alot against the truth.
The Anchorage people selected the Mayor along with his sincerity and our desire to go a different direction. We expect some friction as we turn this ship around. We have to turn this ship around from the preferred emphasis of sexual focus of alternative lifestyles popular heretofore. The person you mention is being reviewed within confidential, professional parameters. We have all sorts of interesting people in Anchorage from inception to date. We can all name a few. Volunteer witch hunting is a crass hobby making Anchorage one of the worst cities in America to live, educate a family, or to invest in. We needn’t all transmute into witches in order to be happy to live among them.
Geez – as always you make no sense.
Pontis pilate asked ‘ what is Truth?’ people today claim they follow the way and truth. They think themselves honest and truthful and good and kind. But are they? There are many shepards (leaders), some good and some bad, how do you measure you are following a good shepard when we are all sheep? Don’t answar. Just think.
As you contemplate their tracks imitate their faith.
Jen, you boxed yourself into a box. You may be a sheep, but I’m not.
Jesus was talking about the truth and that he was innocent and pilate asked him what is truth but he wasn’t really wanting to know. Jesus didn’t argue back because it was a mute point. What was going to happen is what was meant to happen. The Jews crucified Jesus let’s not forget that little tidbit. No doubt pilot did what he did just to keep the peace. That’s all he was he was a military peacekeeper. I’m sure deep down in his subconscious, Hitler thought he was doing the right thing. If you choose to follow a leader, you must do your homework and see if that person aligns their views with yours. In that way, there won’t be any surprises. The other resolve is to not be a sheep. It’s easy for sheep to play follow the leader all the way to the slaughterhouse. Open your eyes and your mind and be open to what may be the truth, not just what you think is the truth.
You nailed it Greg. Thank you.
I hate the term “Leaders” . No they are employees of the people.
We are the leaders.
I want a politician to speak for my lonely voice.
Just nit picking here.
To add.. I respect your efforts and personal sacrifice to do what you do.
You are a patriot.
Thank you.
I agree regarding the term “leaders”. I was merely repeating verbiage popular circa 1958.
Disappointing…
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What a leader might be expected to say, “Follow me!”, is conspicuous by its absence.
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Writer didn’t say exactly what “hold these elected officials accountable” means.
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Instead we get this amazing fantasy about voters somehow overcoming a totally FUBAR’d election system to “fire them at the ballot box”, and install a super majority of avowed populist, non Establishment “leaders” immune to the influences of registered special interests who outnumber them seven to one, immune to the tender mercies of a united GOP Inc. and Democrat Inc. who damn sure never wanted them elected in the first place.
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So… absolutely, let’s do our 12 Strong thing, Leader Allard, couple of minor details if we may: who’s gonna lead, how’s what you say gonna happen when Alaska’s election system’s FUBAR’d from start to finish, ballot harvesting’s okay, and dark money appears to rule the election process?
I suspect Mrs. Allard’s definition of “great leadership” also includes ruling like a king or an autocrat and not needing to follow those pesky rules, laws, and regulations that cover the duties and responsibilities of elected officials. Mayors, governors, and presidents are not kings (or queens, as the case may be). They do not get to arbitrarily turn off a city’s fluoride system or take classified documents to their country club after they leave their previously held office.
Disingenuous as always, MRAK(not)Fan.
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You ignore or overlook the egregious and multiple violations of the municipal charter by the Marxist Nine over the past several years, much less their autocratic Covidian tyranny, much less their blatant disrespect for the public will in regards to that Covidian tyranny, much less their unlawful attempts to wrest power from the office of the mayor, much less their contempt for business struggling due to the Covidian tyranny and lockdowns by diverting huge amounts of CARES Act monies to the worthless dregs of society (the homeless), rather than to those struggling businesses for whom those monies were directly intended.
At every step, this Marxist-led ass-embly has thwarted and spit on the public, and the public good, instead flexing their political muscle and running roughshod over the interests of the public. They are contemptible and loathsome individuals, every one of them.
Jefferson
Wow what did you do get up on the wrong side of the bed? I do agree the Assembly 9 are nothing but a self centered, self gratified s— show.
Good Lord in heaven!!! Will you all stop referring to politicians as our “leaders”??? Please? I have never voted for someone to lead me. Never. I vote for representation that best fits my political views. Whenever I get a mailer from a politician who claims to be leading Alaska’s people, it’s going in the round file. Narcissistic people tell everyone else what great leaders they are. Just stop feeding these tools egos. Please.
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