By SCOTT LEVESQUE
The resignation of Mayor Ethan Berkowitz, announced Tuesday at the Anchorage Assembly meeting by his Chief of Staff Jason Bockenstedt, overshadowed the Assembly’s vote to extend the mayor’s emergency powers for the fifth time.
As AR 2020-379 was introduced, an intense battle ensued as Assembly Members lined up to pitch their particular amendment to the resolution.
Assembly Member Suzanne LaFrance got things started by introducing an amendment to change the emergency powers end date from December 31 to Nov. 30. The amendment passed 10-0.
Assembly Member John Weddleton joined the debate by proposing an amendment that would require public testimony for any further extension of the emergency powers. The amendment passed 10-0.
Assembly Member Meg Zaletel added an amendment to Weddleton’s amendment that would require a public hearing to occur two weeks before the emergency powers end date. The amendment passed by a 9-1 vote.
And finally, Assembly Member Crystal Kennedy introduced the most unique and promising amendment, which confirms that this current extension’s sole intention is to allow time to move all processes and operations from an emergency powers status to the city’s standard Municipality of Anchorage operation. This amendment passed by an 8-2 vote. Meg Zaletel and Forrest Dunbar both opposed the amendment.
Ultimately, the Assembly voted 9-1 in favor of extending the emergency powers, which gives the mayor vast power over operations during his final 10 days in office, after which the power will transfer to Chairman Felix Rivera, who is positioned to step into the role of acting mayor until a special election is called. Jamie Allard was the sole Assembly member who voted against the extension.
With the exception of 1 or 2 people on the Assembly, the rest are perverts who should join the mayor and resign…..maybe we could take up a collection and send them all back to the pervert states from which they came.
Can you imagine if who ever becomes mayor promptly unlocked the city and the city promptly recovered in both attitude and economy?
He/she would be hailed a hero.
Honestly, we’ve already seen how lock down works. And yes, much damage is done and will not recover (part of a plan, I’m afraid).
People will expose their insight or foolishness when they vote, and we deserve what we vote for, as it won’t be in much ignorance this time.
Amen!
The Assembly is in the state of shock and can’t think for themselves without Berkowitz.
Jamie Allard should be the new mayor.
Sounds like Anchorage needs to dump 8 or 9 assembly members very soon.
YES!
The Assembly sucks! Take off your masks if you want to. More people get COVID from their mask trapping virus than otherwise.
So they extended the powers without even knowing who they will be giving them to? That makes NO sense. ugh. Time for us to get the most conservative, business friendly mayoral candidate we can find. This is a NIGHTMARE.
Seems most of the Assembly brethren were a bit shell-shocked last night, after the swift and unceremonious departure of their fearless leader. In this befuddled state they in essence voted to end the emergency circus by November 30. I have no doubt that if Berky had not been “exposed” we would have seen the order extended to December 31 without any of Mrs. Kennedy’s stipulations. Three Cheers for Jamie Allard & Crystal Kennedy!!
Fish rot from the head down and the show has only just begun… The corrupt ones in government see that the great awakening of the silent majority has begun and that there is no stopping this tsunami… The isolation that was once a great haven for the socially reckless has now become a Chugach walled prison. Nowhere to run baby. Taking sanity back…
What is very puzzling to me (equally troubling, but focus on the puzzling) is if (in a switch from the usual), the “conservative” “reduce government overreach” crowd (i.e. the protesters) are a vocal minority? This leads to the follow-on conclusion that most of the Assembly members are secure enough in their positions that they are not worried about a negative reaction at the polls when they next run.
It could be a function of time before any given Assembly member is up for election or it could be that the “silent majority” is now a majority in favor of the draconian actions of Mayor Berkowitz and to-be-seen actions of Mr. Rivera. Puzzling.
Overall this is promising. Instead of an indefinite extension, regardless of who is Mayor, the Assembly is taking steps to move out of the Emergency stance.
Deciding to extend, for a shorter period of time, the emergency declaration is an action to ensure there is not a total trainwreck trying to get the various city departments back into a decision making/purchasing mode. It also provides the Assembly a cushion of time to get back into the mode of actually doing their jobs.
One less Democrat.
It is the voters who put these people in office. Don’t let it happen again.
It is mail-in voting that put these people in office.
.
Agree totally, 100%.
Right now, one of the Assembly members who has voted consistently to screw over the majority of Anchorage in order to save a few is running for State House. Do not let her win that election. Vote Kaufman.
Or vote for an inert carbon rod instead of an Assembly member who works against the best interest of her constituents.
And where is the exhaustive coverage on this assembly’s disdain for constitutional rights? If not for MRAK, there would not be a peep. You can count on the Left stream media from not keeping its citizens informed; if there was, heads would explode. Come on, man!
They all just got a kiss of death, following the lead of Berkowtiz with a swan dive into the asphalt! Good luck with your new found hate from the anchorage population! These people will be in the unemployment line at election time and remember to post their pictures on your business doors refusing service to all of them! Time to black ball them everywhere
Look,
The only one biting the dust so far is not gone yet. Lots can happen in a couple weeks The replacement for the little guy is potentially worse that the mini tyrant himself. The disease (leftism) must be eradicated at the source and in it’s entirety. The entire enchilada (Anchorage, Alaska, America and more) is riding on one single thing. Give Trump and conservatives like Sullivan in the senate and Young in the house, the ability to fight for us and America, when we need their seniority, knowledge and political determination more than ever. It has to be done. We all vote, we win. We don’t keep it together and vote, we’re toast. The cities, states, country and likely the world to follow. Not a lot of voting going on with the European, Russian and Chinese constituency hit hardest with leftist globalism, oh, I mean Wuhan v.
Never underestimate your foe. Never. Vote and be ready to fight for it if need be. Really the only choice.
Amen Ben!
Another awesome article, Mr. Levesque.
Look up the Barrington Declaration for how anti-science all of these lockdown emergency orders are. Not surprised the Anchorage EOs got extended, but what surprises me is how easily the cowed populace rolls over and takes this garbage. I’m out, screw this city and the sheep that live here.
Tired of waiting for things to open up for months on end! South Dakota never shut down, not once. Real leadership there, and people who stood up for their rights. Even Florida is more open than Alaska at this point, how does that make any kind of sense? You should be ashamed Anchorage!
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