Anchorage Mayor Ethan Berkowitz is known for hanging out with his friends at the back of the room during Anchorage Assembly meetings. And rarely does he have much to say when asked for the Mayor’s Report.
But we had no idea how little he had to say until we saw this one-minute video, posted anonymously by someone who calls himself or herself “Reformed Snowflake.” The YouTube video was posted on Thursday and forwarded to Must Read Alaska.
In the video, week after week, Berkowitz is asked by then-Assembly Chair Dick Traini to give his report, and week after week, Berkowitz has nothing to report, even while crime grips the city, with record-breaking murders and car thefts that are some of the highest in the country.
In fact, by September of 2015, Anchorage was on track to set a new homicide record, even while homicides were falling around the country.
It set another new homicide record in 2016, and again in 2017, when homicides reached 35 — a 191 percent increase over the 12 homicides that occurred in 2014 under the previous mayor, Dan Sullivan.
In one meeting, Traini asks Mayor Berkowitz, “All these people, and nothing to say?” referring to the large crowd assembled for the meeting.
Berkowitz appears caught off guard and can only muster a weak, “I’ll defer to their wisdom” one-liner.
The election for Anchorage mayor and school board seats is mail-in only this year and starts in mid-March, when official ballots are sent to eligible voters through the mail. (They’ll be mailed from Washington state, so there’s no telling when they’ll arrive in Anchorage.)
Best TV commercial on what Anchorage gets with a 10-15% turnout…nice work Suzanne!
What a winner. How did he get elected? Nothing to report. When he wants to talk in front of the crowd supporting planned parenthood he grabs the mic and speaks but he can’t give a report. He is responsible for the uptick in crime and high property taxes. He must be voted out of office. He is the worst mayor of Anchorage ever. He has an army for a police force yet he still holds the record for homicides in a year. Anchorage has turned into a cesspool under his leadership. Please Anchorage voters don’t vote for this guy again. He can’t even speak for his people of Anchorage. Smh…
Berkowitz has NOTHING to say to people in attendance at Assembly meetings. AND he has NOTHING to say each time I sent an email to him regarding a major disturbance in my residential area. I am very disappointed by this guy during his tenure as mayor and will not vote for him a second time.
Sullivan also cut the police force just as we faced a growing drug problem and an economic downturn, two thing that are known escalators of crime. Saving money by increasing crime risks seemed OK to him. Berkowitz began building the police force as soon as he took office, but that takes time because of the need to get Assembly financial approval, begin recruiting, do extensive background checking, and then provide weeks of training. Not easy nor fast. The mayor didn’t create the gap in coverage nor could he control the Assembly’s decision making time or the time needed to recruit, hire, and train. A mayor did create this problem, but it was Mayor Sullivan.
He Anchorage you deserve this guy he i s a Democrat and a well known do nothing guy check his State of Alaska record.
While this mayor may not have anything to say, I do. Mister Mayor why is it that we live in the most dangerous state and you are the mayor of the most dangerous city in the United States? Mister Mayor, why are the tax-paying citizens of Anchorage having to expend $1,700,500.00 in litigation costs for a wrongful termination suit that has not yet been settled? Mister Mayor, on October 19th 2015 you signed a new policy and procedure against workplace bullying. While this policy is on the books, as policy and procedure number 40-36 there is no effective means for an employee to wage a complaint of bullying or discrimination against the Municipality of Anchorage. While the P&P directs the office of employee relations to handle all complaints of this nature, there is no effective means for an employee to seek redress through ER to have a legitimate complaint of bullying or harassment investigated much less much less settled. Mister Mayor, maybe other citizens, as well as the assembly, are content with having you fail to report or make comments at assembly meetings I am not. Additionally I would like answers to many other questions I have. Are you going to choose to remain silent or will you stand up and finally become the mayor that this community needs by answering the questions posed above as well as other questions I have yet to print?
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