Tuesday, August 5, 2025
Home Blog Page 546

Alex Gimarc: The Long Trail is like raw onion on a hamburger — it keeps coming back up

SENIOR CONTRIBUTOR
-
45
Alex Gimarc: The Long Trail is like raw onion on a hamburger — it keeps coming back up

By ALEX GIMARC

The Long Trail is a decades long dream of hikers, cyclists, and other outdoor recreation enthusiasts. The project envisions a 500-mile-long, multi-strand, set of trails and paths connecting Fairbanks and Seward. 

Like all grandiose projects, this one has had a bumpy path, most recently being slapped down under the Gov. Frank Murkowski Administration in 2006.  

Like raw onions on a hamburger, however, it keeps coming back up, over the last two years getting capital budget approvals for connected projects (trail improvements); $4.7 million in 2022 and $1.4 million this year.  

The technique by proponents is to request small improvement projects along its projected footprint. This year, the legislature approved trail and access improvements at Eklutna Lakeside Trail, Ram Valley, and Indian Valley. Sen. Bill Wielechowski was quite proud of this in his June, 2023 “Capitol Brief.”

Proponents claim that the proposed trail system is easy to do because it will lie entirely on public lands. 

If you look at the public lands between Fairbanks and Seward, there are two obvious choices: Easements along the Alaska Railroad (AKRR) or the Seward Highway. It is the use of these easements that becomes the crux of the opposition, as an easement does not imply or guarantee ownership or the ability to build a trail on it. Easements to widen the Seward Highway will have to be purchased or stolen via condemnation or eminent domain from property owners. Easements along the railroad are something else entirely, as their use for anything other than railroad use is illegal.  

For example, AKRR has been at war with its neighbors over use of the railroad easement for decades. In this, AKRR has been the aggressor, and bad actor (according to its neighbors), using an unlimited legal budget and the courts to single out a property owner or two, destroy that owner in court, set a legal precedent later used to force that solution on everyone else with an easement on their property. 

I wrote an extended series in Alaska Politics and Elections Online on this in 2021.  

For some reason, AKRR has been very, very quiet about the Long Trail, leading property owners to worry that the fix is in.  The fix in this case, allow Long Trail recreational access to the AKRR easement.

Should they do that, there will be a problem, as there is a Ninth Circuit opinion in Toews v US 03-5129, July 21, 2004, that holds that the scope of a railroad easement does not encompass its use as a recreational trail. The opinion has not been appealed or reversed.

It was this opinion, among other things that led the Federal Highway Administration to issue a Record of Decision on March 30, 2006, rejecting an attempt by the Municipality and Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facility to extend the Tony Knowles Coastal Trail from Kincaid Park to Potter Marsh. That Record of Decision has not been reversed, though there is no telling what the Biden administration would choose to do.  

So, this project is percolating right along, garnering support from the usual suspects on the political left, including the Senate majority. 

Expect them to continue to do piecemeal trail improvements along its proposed length. 

Expect them to attempt to strong arm property owners along the Seward Highway or the railroad into agreement / support. Once the railroad capitulates, and it is my opinion that they are already onboard, expect more money to be spent in court than on the trail itself.  

And it is all so, so unnecessary. If the Legislature wants to support infrastructure, I have some roads and bridges we need to discuss.  

Alex Gimarc lives in Anchorage since retiring from the military in 1997. His interests include science and technology, environment, energy, economics, military affairs, fishing and disabilities policies. His weekly column “Interesting Items” is a summary of news stories with substantive Alaska-themed topics. He was a small business owner and Information Technology professional.

Juneau government to spend $50K of taxpayer dollars lobbying voters to change their minds, fund new city hall

Suzanne Downing
-
16
Juneau government to spend $50K of taxpayer dollars lobbying voters to change their minds, fund new city hall

Juneau voters said no last fall to a proposed bond that would build a new city hall. The Juneau Assembly wants a do-over and on Monday authorized city staff to to spend up to $50,000 lobbying voters to say yes to it next time it’s on the ballot, which appears to be this October.

The city staff will not be providing neutral information to voters, but will spend time pushing information in support of the project, with the intent to sway the voters to be in favor of the initiative that would fund $35 million of the approximately $42 million project.

City Manager Rorie Watt has continued to push the new city hall, even though it comes at a time when property taxes have sent property owners reeling.

Property assessments have soared in Juneau. In 2020, the average home was assessed at $429,000, but that went up to $527,000 in 2022. The mill rate went down slightly, but not enough to offset the high valuations set by the assessor’s office.

“Clearly, we would be trying to influence the outcome of the election,” Watt told the Assembly.

Several Juneau residents called out the Assembly on what appears to be a disregard of the voters’ will. After all, even though an online survey was conducted by the city’s consultant showed support for the project before it was placed on the ballot last year, the survey respondents were self-selecting and heavily weighted toward people who live in downtown Juneau, where Democrats dominate and like to spend on government. Fully 17% of respondents work for the city.

In other words, the survey design and responses show that the city has already spent taxpayer money to come up with the answer the Assembly wanted, which was used to try to convince the foot-draggers, critics told Must Read Alaska.

What the entire community actually thought was revealed in the real poll — the one at the ballot box.

Win Gruening: Juneau muni elections outcome should give the Assembly pause about new City Hall

“They voted nay on the project. We’re using their money to advocate against their vote,” said Wayne Coogan, a critic of government waste.

Others noted that the city has allowed the exterior of the current city hall building to fall into disrepair on purpose, in order to sway the public to support the $35 million bond. The existing city hall is aging and its exterior paint is unsightly. The building, built in the 1950s, needs about $12 million in upgrades to extend its life for another 25 years, the city says. There are other buildings in Juneau built in the same era that have been well maintained over the years.

Critics counter that the Juneau Assembly could have purchased the vacant Walmart building when it went up for sale at a reduced price last year, but instead caved to liberals who want to build a shrine to government downtown.

The Juneau Assembly has instead spent nearly $46 million in taxpayer funds to date for the planned construction of two government buildings, rejected by voters, which are estimated to cost around $120 million together, according to columnist Win Gruening. The other building rejected by voters was the $70+ million civic center.

Win Gruening: Juneau muni elections outcome should give the Assembly pause about new City Hall

“Secondly, property tax assessments this year are rising an average of 16% (though some residents report increases of up to 40%), which negates any purported “reduction” in property taxes by the Assembly,” Gruening said.

The Juneau Assembly has yet to vote on whether to include the city hall bond proposal on the October ballot. The Assembly meets to determine that on July 10.

Juneau voters say no to new city hall, and repeal Assembly’s mandatory real estate disclosure law

Five years since Janus decision, 35% of Alaska public workers opt out of union dues

Suzanne Downing
-
16
Five years since Janus decision, 35% of Alaska public workers opt out of union dues

Five years ago today, the United States Supreme Court delivered a groundbreaking ruling in Janus v. AFSCME, declaring it unconstitutional for public sector labor unions to compel non-members to pay dues or fees as a condition of employment.

The case, brought by plaintiff Mark Janus, granted public employees the freedom to opt out of union representation and support only the speech they align with. Janus said the unions were supporting candidates and policies he disagreed with.

In 2023, the Janus v. AFSCME decision serves as a powerful testament to empowering workers to exercise autonomy over their hard-earned money, writes Sarah Montalbano, at Alaska Policy Forum, Alaska’s conservative policy think tank.

The origins of the case trace back to 2015 when Mark Janus, a child support specialist employed by the state of Illinois, challenged the mandatory fees imposed by the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME).

Before the Janus decision in 2018, public employees in states without right-to-work laws faced limited options: Either become full union members and pay full dues or decline membership and pay mandatory “agency fees,” which were often almost as much as full membership dues, discouraging employees from opting out. Despite not being a union member, Mark Janus was obligated to pay agency fees as a condition of his employment.

With the Supreme Court ruling in favor of Janus, government workers now have a choice.

As a result, Alaska has witnessed a significant decline in union membership — over 35% in the government workforce, Montalbano writes at this Alaska Policy Forum link.

In Illinois, where the case was centered, the Illinois Federation of Teachers has over 16,000 fewer members and fee payers than it did in 2017, yet the union took in over $600,000 more in dues and fees in 2022 than it did in 2017, according to reports it filed with the U.S. Department of Labor, writes Illinois Policy. Unions have partially offset losses by increasing dues on their remaining members, the group noted. And they are becoming more militant, the organization said.

Janus was represented by the Illinois Policy Institute’s litigation partner, the Liberty Justice Center, and the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation. Their work ended over 40 years of forced government union payments. Read their five-year report on the impact of the Janus decision at this Illinois Policy link.

Oregon voters to decide on ranked-choice voting in 2024

Suzanne Downing
-
28
Oregon voters to decide on ranked-choice voting in 2024

While Alaska voters have been working to get signatures needed to repeal ranked-choice voting in the 49th state, Oregon’s state legislators, in the closing hours of this year’s legislative session, took a step toward adopting a ranked-choice voting with the approval of House Bill 2004 on Sunday.

HB 2004 will be on the Oregon ballot in 2024, offering voters the chance to join Alaska and Maine in using ranked-choice voting method. If the referendum passes, both federal and statewide elections will use ranked-choice system, except for the presidential race, which is governed by federal election law. Local jurisdictions will have the option to implement it for their respective elections as well.

The Foundation for Government Accountability calls ranked-choice voting a “disaster.”

“Funded by the progressive Left, RCV advocacy organizations claim that this massive overhaul can improve voter confidence by providing more candidate choices, decreasing negative campaigning, and ensuring majority rule. But these are false promises, and the proliferation of RCV would be harmful to American elections,” the think tank says.

Ranked-choice voting allows voters to rank their preferences, rather than simply make a single, binary choice. To secure a victory on the general election ballot in November, when the ranked-choice method is used, a candidate must receive more than 50% of the vote. If no candidate achieves an outright majority in the initial count, the candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated, and a process continues with the redistribution of votes based on the eliminated candidate’s supporters’ second choice. The process continues until one candidate emerges with a majority of the votes.

Alaska’s system, which includes open primaries, was jerry-rigged by the group of politicos that supported the reelection of Sen. Lisa Murkowski, because it was clear she would not be able to win a Republican primary. Open primaries and ranked-choice generals helped her win her seat, and also brought Alaska a Democrat in Congress — Rep. Mary Peltola.

Pelota travels to Minnesota to push ranked choice voting

Supporters of ranked-choice voting believe that its implementation will lead to fairer outcomes and enhance voter engagement.

Critics argue that the system is overly complicated, cannot be verified by hand counting, and that the retabulation of ballots delays the public knowing the final outcome, and that the system gives a bigger advantage to incumbents who are better known than challengers.

The group trying to repeal ranked-choice voting in Alaska, Alaskans for Honest Elections, have over 14,000 of the 27,000 signatures they need to get their initiative on the 2024 ballot.

Other jurisdictions are playing with the new voting bingo game — Nevada voters passed a measure to establish both open primaries and ranked choice voting like Alaska, but because it would change the state’s constitution, the voters must vote again on the measure. Seattle voters have switched to ranked-choice voting in their local municipal elections.

Seattle hops on the ranked-choice voting bandwagon
Odd Man: ‘Veterans’ group to organize in support of Alaska’s open primaries, ranked choice voting system
Ranked choice messaging: A voting system so complicated that even the trainers can’t explain it
Downing: Nevada’s gamble on open primaries and ranked-choice voting has chance for a do-over in 2024

Political theater: House minority members want survey for special session on veto override

Suzanne Downing
-
39
Political theater: House minority members want survey for special session on veto override

A group of Democrats in the Alaska House of Representatives has asked Speaker Cathy Tilton to conduct a survey among the members of the House to determine if there is an appetite for a special session that the Legislature would call itself into in order to override some or all of Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s vetoes.

The letter to Speaker Tilton was signed by Reps. Calvin Schrage, Dan Ortiz, Jennie Armstrong, Andrew Gray, Cliff Groh, Zack Fields, Andi Story, Geneva Mina, Donna Mears, Ashley Carrick, Alyse Galvin, Sara Hannan, Louise Stutes, Andy Josephson, Maxine Dilbert, and Rebecca Himschoot.

Although not all are registered Democrats, it’s widely understood that those with an “undeclared” or “nonpartisan” labels are using them for convenience and vote confusion in their districts.

Of the 16 who signs the letter, nine are freshmen, having served for just one term in office. Many of those nine have never held any type of elected office before.

The old-timers who signed the letter — Andy Josephson, Louise Stutes, and Dan Ortiz — have been in office for several years and understand what they are doing: The Democrat minority is making political theater, all the while knowing the votes are not there.

Speaker Tilton said she was puzzled over the handwringing because the minority refused to give the House majority a three-quarter vote to fund the biggie-sized education bonus out of the Constitutional Budget Reserve, and didn’t give the House majority the vote to allow an extended session, so the budget could be hammered out in the compromises that are usually made in a conference committee. The extended session could have give lawmakers time to handle the problem created by the Senate Majority, which would not cooperate at the end of session.

The Democrats are upset because Gov. Dunleavy scaled back the additional spending that the was awarded to education for the coming year.

Rather than an additional $175 million for education, on top of the regular spending, Dunleavy left in place an $87 million addition boost for the fiscal year, which begins July 1.

But the Legislature’s budget and governor also awarded $3 million for the Alaska Reads Act, which is a program that is meant to help schools increase reading skills in Alaska students, which have dropped in recent years to second-worst in the nation, after New Mexico, according to The Nation’s Report Card.

In addition to the Alaska Reads Act funding, there is lots of extra education money in the budget for FY2023:

  • $299 million for school bond debt reimbursement, helping local governments and school districts with the cost of school construction
  • $117 million for Rural Education Attendance Area funds, ensuring rural Alaskan students have safe schools in which to learn
  • $40 million in funding to the Major Maintenance Fund, clearing large, deferred projects on Alaskan school buildings

In FY2024:

  • $67.2 million for school bond debt reimbursement
  • $27.9 million for Rural Education Attendance Area funds 
  • $19.6 million for School Major Maintenance

In the Senate, Sen. Gary Stevens has let it be known he doesn’t think there is the will to try to get a veto override of the $87 million reduction in the expansion of the spending.

Justice Department watchdog report: Jeffrey Epstein killed himself

Suzanne Downing
-
38
Justice Department watchdog report: Jeffrey Epstein killed himself

Jeffrey Epstein, the high-flying financier and pedophile who got caught trafficking girls, didn’t exactly get killed by the prison system.

But even though he had reportedly attempted suicide in jail two weeks earlier, the prison system left him alone in his cell with an excess of bed linens, and in a unit where the 24-hour surveillance cameras were not working. Only one prison worker was on duty for 24 hours straight. Guards at the prison routinely falsified their check-in documents.

The report from the Inspector General Michael Horowitz, who serves as the Justice Department’s watchdog, said that it was merely negligence, misconduct, and poor job performance by the prison system of New York City that allowed Epstein to hang himself in August of 2019.

The federal investigation found no evidence that he was killed by anything other than state incompetence and what many would see as dereliction of duty.

Epstein hung himself with those extra bed linens issued to him, Horowitz said in his report.

JPMorgan’s strange journey from anti-Alaska environmentalism to settling over ties to sex fiend Jeffrey Epstein

The report contradicts many theories that say Epstein was killed in prison by those who don’t want his list of sex clients, to whom he marketed underage girls, to get out to the public, which would have happened if he had gone to trial.

Even though he has been dead for nearly four years, the men who preyed on girls at Epstein’s private island have never faced justice. And there were dozens, if not hundreds of powerful men who visited Epstein’s island during the time in question.

Epstein was once a member of the high-and-mighties of the world. Visitor logs show he visited the White House 17 times while Bill Clinton was president — twice on the same day on three different occasions.

The pedophile is connected loosely to Alaska by way of former Anchorage Daily News publisher Alice Rogoff, who brought Epstein’s child groomer, Ghislaine Maxwell, to Alaska for a trip to see the Iditarod Sled Dog Race.

The two were pals in another venture — Arctic economic interests. Maxwell, who set up young girls to be ready for rape by wealthy men, is now serving 20 years in prison, but once she was part of the Arctic Assembly, and founded an environmental nonprofit called Terra Mar, ostensibly to “save the oceans,” but more likely a way to launder various funds through a tax-exempt organization.

Maxwell and former ADN owner Alice Rogoff were friends and colleagues back in the days when Rogoff owned and shaped the political landscape of the state, pushing Bill Walker into power as governor, and trying to get her hands on the Alaska Permanent Fund. Rogoff encouraged Walker to use the fund as collateral to borrow money for Alaska projects she was interested in, particularly around Port Clarence. Rogoff was married to Carlyle Group founder David Rubenstein, and their daughter, Gabrielle Rubenstein, now serves on the Permanent Fund Board of Trustees.

“Ghislaine Maxwell abruptly torpedoed her oceanic non-profit in the wake of the scandal surrounding her associate Jeffrey Epstein,” wrote Business Insider in 2019.

Ghislaine Maxwell, last seen in Alaska with Alice Rogoff in 2014, now in prison for 20 years for sex trafficking
Governor starts pushing Rogoff’s Port Clarence — again

MV Hubbard, delayed for years by Gov. Walker, finally in service in Upper Lynn Canal

Suzanne Downing
-
16
MV Hubbard, delayed for years by Gov. Walker, finally in service in Upper Lynn Canal

The Alaska Marine Highway ferry MV Hubbard is finally in service in Upper Lynn Canal. It was constructed at the Vigor Shipyard in Ketchikan, the second Alaska Class ferry built at the relatively new shipyard. The first was the Taslina.

While the Hubbard has been making its laps for a month, it was finally christened by First Lady Rose Dunleavy on Monday, with the ceremonial smashing of a champagne bottle near its bow.

The Hubbard currently serves as a day boat between Juneau, Haines, and Skagway.

As originally designed, it didn’t have crew sleeping quarters, because it was to be purpose built for the northern Lynn Canal, and crew members would go to their own homes after their shifts. But that wasn’t satisfactory for labor unions, whose members make a lot more money when they sleep on the ship — they wanted overnight routes.

During the administration of Bill Walker, the governor and the labor unions changed the contract for the boat to add crew quarters. In 2018, after Walker was ceremoniously dumped from office, the spokeswoman for the Department of Transportation cryptically said, “The primary reason the ACFs [Alaska Class ferries] cannot be deployed this summer on the planned routes is the previous administration, for whatever reasons, did not make the necessary revisions to the marine union contracts and modifications to the Haines terminal.”

Thus, a ferry that was originally supposed to be in service in 2018 needed additional appropriations, and was some of its brand new interior was torn apart and retrofitted. Nearly a decade after it was funded for about $30 million by the Legislature, it’s finally in service, at an additional cost of $16 million.

The Alaska Class ferry, which is a day boat concept, began in 2006 under Gov. Frank Murkowski. It would be part of a plan to extend Juneau’s road north and shorten the trip between the three communities. Service throughout Southeast Alaska could be greatly improved, if getting in and out of a Juneau road system was not so time-consuming. Other ferries could be deployed elsewhere in the system.

That plan never materialized because Gov. Walker killed the Juneau Access project and said the ship was needed for overnight runs, which was preferred by the labor unions.

The $16 million retrofit added eight single person staterooms on the bridge deck, and eight two-person staterooms on the upper deck. Additional work included the installation of a galley, scullery, and crew mess spaces on the upper deck; a new fan room on the bridge deck; and extension of the existing port stair tower to the bridge deck to serve the new accommodations. Adding overnight quarters for crew greatly increases the cost of running the ferry.

Even though it has the $16 million add-ons, it’s currently just a day boat, as originally planned.

The MV Hubbard is 280 feet long, seats up to 300 passengers and carries 53 standard vehicles. The passenger amenities include observation lounges with comfortable chairs, a covered heated solarium, a cafeteria-style cafe, a children’s play area and a quiet room. 

‘Inaugural Nine’ graduate from Alaska Policy Forum Leadership Academy

Suzanne Downing
-
6
‘Inaugural Nine’ graduate from Alaska Policy Forum Leadership Academy

Alaska Policy Forum graduated nine Alaskans from its inaugural Alaska Leadership Academy in May. The group of Alaskans participated in eight months of leadership programming with experts from around the country on topics ranging from crisis management, public speaking, team building, Alaska Statehood Compact and Constitution, and on-camera media training.

The Alaska Policy Forum, founded in 2009, is a fiscally focused conservative think tank that weighs in on matters such as government budgets, regulations, taxation, and free-market policies. The organization, funded by private donors, sees the need to grow the skills of Alaskans who may emerge as the next leaders of the state in elected office or other public policy roles.

The first graduates are:

  • Carolina Anzilotti, Palmer
  • Taunnie Boothby, Willow
  • Catherine Chambers, Anchorage
  • John Coe, Anchorage
  • Kathy Henslee, Anchorage
  • Grant Robinson, Anchorage
  • Dan Rogers, Anchorage
  • Andrew Satterfield, Anchorage
  • Frank Tomaszewski, Fairbanks

The upcoming class of the Alaska Leadership Academy will begin this fall and carry through winter, with applications due Aug. 1. Reach out to the Alaska Policy Forum to nominate someone for the course, or offer financial support for the project to grow informed, well-spoken thought-leaders by sending a note or calling 907-334-5853.

Mayor takes action on tramp camp nightmare on Ingra Street, where 200 homeless are creating neighborhood friction

Suzanne Downing
-
99
Mayor takes action on tramp camp nightmare on Ingra Street, where 200 homeless are creating neighborhood friction

Anchorage Mayor Dave Bronson toured the squalid conditions that have developed on the site of the old Alaska Native Hospital at 3rd Avenue and Ingra. About 200 vagrants — people who can’t or won’t follow the rules of regular structured shelters — are in tents and tarps at that location, a result of the Anchorage Assembly refusing to allow a solution that would address this particular population.

The mayor released the following statement concerning the large number of prohibited homeless camps and ramshackle structures at the site of 3rd Avenue and Ingra Street:

“Today I directed municipal resources to clean up the growing number of homeless camps at 3rd and Ingra. We are taking immediate action to clean up the illegal structures, pallets, accumulating trash, and abandoned vehicles on the property that previously was the old Alaska Native Hospital. Code enforcement will be tagging abandoned vehicles and those will be removed as soon as possible,” he said.

Bronson was responding to a publicity campaign by local property owners who call themselves the “3rd Ave. Radicals,” a tongue-in-cheek reference to those who are hardworking property owners and taxpayers trying to keep the area safe and trying to improve neighborhood conditions.

“We are going to protect public property and the safety of residents and businesses in the area, while respecting the rights of all citizens,” the mayor said.

A video of the mayor touring the site today can be found at this link.

The mayor started his morning with a staff meeting at City Hall, asked his senior staff how many had been to the site, where it gets worse by the day. Today, it was field trip day, as Bronson wanted his entire staff to walk the site and see what the people living around the area are dealing with.

Humanitarian Crisis? Centennial Campground is not the ‘deplorable’ place the media would have you believe

Bronson is working on fencing, security and control in the short term, and working on a contract to get 24-hour security at the site. He has asked police to step up patrols.

The biggest item is land where Davis Park encampment is. With about 100 people littering the area, this is military land leased to the city, and it’s now a large illegal encampment the military wants out of there. Those people will drift over to the Native Hospital land, where it’s already grim. There are only, for example, two portable toilets for the 200 who are already encamped. With 100 more likely to come into that area, it’s going to get worse before it gets better.

The “3rd Ave. Radicals” hope that between site security and better police protection, some of the open drug use, drug dealing and illegal activities will be reduced. Some of the criminals will respond to police presence by finding other places to camp across the city.

Meanwhile, the Anchorage Assembly has not allowed the mayor to solve the problem and has also refused to come up with a plan it can agree on.

Just like Portland: Anchorage’s Third Ave. property owners put out SOS over rampant crime, homeless squalor
More homeless talk ahead: Anchorage Assembly chats with selves about sanctioned camps, hosts town halls
1...545546547...1,696Page 546 of 1,696

About us

Must Read Alaska is news of people, politics, policy, culture, and happenings in Alaska.

Contact
4021 West Hill Road,
Homer, AK 99603
[email protected]

The latest

Anchorage launches ‘Crampground’ neighborhood

The 907 2
The Municipality of Anchorage is preparing to break ground...

Fifty years after Saigon fell, one sailor’s memories still haunt him — and one unexpected encounter brought him peace

The 907 16
At 69 years old, John Kersbergen lives a humble...

Bob Bird: The glaring inconsistencies of ‘pro-lifers’

Columns 1
By BOB BIRD “Life begins at conception! Legal protection for...

© Must Read Alaska