During the Mayor Ethan Berkowitz era, Anchorage became what is known as a “Welcoming City,” which is very much the same thing as a “sanctuary city,” but with a different name — it’s a place for illegal immigrants to feel welcome. The former mayor’s wife led the charge on the initiative and headed up the immigrant-welcoming program.
Fast forward to 2023: An ordinance by the Assembly that has the city work toward becoming an official “Welcoming City,” with a certificate as one, was vetoed by Mayor Dave Bronson today. There’s too much paperwork and redundancy, he said.
“This ordinance is a solution in search of a problem. Our Office of Equal Opportunity and Office of Equity and Justice recently passed their annual audit with flying colors. In addition, both offices have public visibility in advocating for their respective missions: equal opportunity, and equity for those who are disadvantaged. There is no good reason to burden these offices — and, by extension, Anchorage taxpayers — with additional data requirements as contemplated in the ordinance,” says the memo from Bronson to the Assembly.
WelcomingAmerica.org says that being a certified Welcoming City “is a formal designation for cities and counties that have created policies and programs reflecting their values and commitment to immigrant inclusion.”
But it also means more bureaucrats pushing papers for “diversity, equity, inclusion” goals, or DEI, as many call them.
“The Assembly has imposed this burden because some members want Anchorage to become a Certified Welcoming City, as determined by the national nonprofit Welcoming America. This is a misguided policy decision. Welcoming America is a grantee of George Soros’ Open Society Foundation. As the founder of Welcoming America wrote on the Open Society Foundation webpage over 10 years ago, this nonprofit attempts to attract thousands of individuals and organizations who want to replicate the Welcoming work in their own communities,” Bronson wrote. “In other words, Certified Welcoming City is a product, and the Assembly would like Anchorage to be its newest customer.”
According to Welcoming America, “A Welcoming City or County is one that joins the Welcoming America network and works across multiple sectors, such as government, business, and non-profit, to create inclusive policies and practices such as making it easier for entrepreneurs to start a business or having government documents available in multiple languages. Welcoming Cities are guided by the principles of inclusion and creating communities that prosper because everyone feels welcome, including immigrants and refugees.”
Bronson said that Anchorage is already a welcoming city and has the most diverse schools in the country and vibrant immigrant communities. He sees no need to divert Anchorage tax dollars to a national certifying group that will tell the city what it already knows.
The 12-member Assembly is politically very far left and is likely to override the mayor’s veto of the Welcoming City program.
Thank you, Mayor Bronson!
Better stand strong with Bronson- he’s right on this one! Don’t become S.F. Or NYC!
Yes override it!! We do not want anything to do with Soros. Need to get this far left Assembly out!! They are killing us!!
Why not call it as it is and proclaim Anchorage a failed city?
I’m sure there a Soros program acknowledging that somewhere.
Especially given Soros likely did indeed have a hand in that, if not directly then indirectly.
The Sam Brinton policy for youth bought and paid for with Taxpayer dollars that Chris Constant coerced the ASSembly to adopt and then deleted all the public owned emails related to the policy formation played an even bigger role in the decimation of a safe city for youth but enhanced the climate for pedophiles to thrive in.
Chris Constant deserves a big Thank You from all his supporters who voted for him!
That makes sense.
Why should we welcome people who have no respect for our laws or our values?
It’s probably named for the “Welcomme Trust” in Europe which is more corrupt than Soros Foundation.
Good on you mayor Bronson
One or more of the Asssmbly members must be getting some sort of feather in their cap to get Anchorage to be part of the 18 existing Welcoming City’s across America. My guess is the regional members of the WEF has a list of iniatives to be implemented this year. I wonder what else is on that list?
Somewhere I heard or read or watched, these world leaders such as Soros are using the tactic that further creates disharmony and disunity by mixing a Nation’s generations of First World people (that’s any American born person) with suddenly a infusion of Third World peoples living and working with the First World people.
There would be chaos and the speaker makes sense why Biden and establishment Democrats and Republicans who only aim for greater control with an out of control population who can’t even get along because their mindsets are radically different where one grew up.
From my own experience working around coworkers from a third world background is challenging if not discouraging. For the one who isn’t pressing into Christ Jesus, they won’t be pressing into having peace around the discouragement and challenges that come living and working around someone who was brought up not an American.
I think all these border crossings happening in Europe, Canada, and America cause it hasn’t just been happening to America. The goal isn’t for more democrat voters. It’s an infusion of third world people into a First World population to increase disunity leading up to disharmony and chaos.
Which is worse:
– Someone from a third world country that isn’t pressing into Christ Jesus, or
– Someone that is from the US but has discarded and moved on from pre-medieval superstitions and belief in the supernatural?
Worse is someone so intellectually deficient (find a mirror for an example) who insists there is only your binary option.
I believe ASD also jumped on board with their support back when!!!
Lessee, Problem: homeless problem not growing fast enough? Solution: import more illegals. A real hold my beer moment from the Assembly. Cheers –
Yay!!!!!!!
Hello my collective.
The assembly needs a lesson in finance and humanity. There are 9 billion people on this rock and the city of Anchorage is not big enough for them. Also our tax dollars are going to the homeless, the unions and now the refugees. This is not right the American taxpayer is being told that they are supporting everybody on the rock by crooked politicians just like we have on our assembly.
Make the State of Alaska non Welcoming and get rid of Catholic Charities.
Anchorage is a sh*thole of the first kind. Using the commie slogan of ‘welcoming city’ just shows how stupid Berkowitz is. And there are plenty of stupid commies to carry his torch onward and downward.
Anchorage really isn’t that welcoming when you look at its economics.
Soros, and his University, were run out of his home country of Hungary because of election interference and promoting open borders. Most European countries were not so wise and are dealing with the effects of to many immigrants. Who knows what his plans are but it is not for the benefit of American citizens.
We don’t need your kind ’round heah!
Thank you Mayor Dave
It’s done wonders for Anchorage. They’ve welcomed homeless, crime, drug abuse, and insanity.
Why not double down?
Thank you Mayor Bronson! We stand with you all the way!
Mayor Bronson is absolutely right!
The Assembly has not solved our homeless problem!
Why create anoth-er problem? Our hospitals are al-
ready full, and other public ser-
vices are already jammed with the homeless, to the
detriment of the taxpayers. Just drive through, or past Cuddy Park,
to understand. Our
Assembly is continuing to do their best to drive honest, well-meaning taxpayers out of the City and perhaps out of the State. It is time to replace most of our Assembly members.
Mayor Bronson is absolutely right!
The Assembly has not solved our homeless problem!
Why create anoth-er problem? Our hospitals are al-
ready full, and other public ser-
vices are already jammed with the homeless, to the
detriment of the taxpayers. Just drive through, or past Cuddy Park,
to understand. Our
Assembly is continuing to do their best to drive honest, well-meaning taxpayers out of the City and perhaps out of the State. It is time to replace most of our Assembly members.
We’ve been trying to get rid of our Assembly, but with jerry-rig results and with the homeless voting for their own continuing FREE benefits. (we cannot deny their rights to voting.)..
Most of you have immigrant heritage.
Most of us with immigrant heritage, they did it legally.
Veto override in three… two….
.
Meaningless gesture on Bronson’s part. The Assembly will override that veto almost instantly.
Maybe the Politburo will choose to “welcome” a flood of unvetted Palestinians.
It will be quite the progressive on progressive conundrum. Will the mostly gay Politburo choose to import a people known to be violently anti gay? Or will the virtue signaling be more important?
The virtue signaling is much more important than anything else.
History is abundantly clear on that front.
We don’t want people from other countries poisoning the blood of good Americans !
The America that we all know and love will soon be gone if we don’t do something about our boarders. Those people being diseases and infections which only makes us weak.
We must elect Dave Bronson and Donald Trump if we are going to save Alaska.
“Office of Equal Opportunity and Office of Equity and Justice” …could they come up with a more Orwellian sounding name? Let’s make Anchorage an “Unwelcoming City.” It’s a lot cheaper and safer for citizens for us to put up signs like: “GTFO If You’re Not A Citizen” or “California Loves Illegals And It’s Warm There.”
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