By STEPHANIE TAYLOR

I am a 51-year resident of Alaska, with 46 of those years in Anchorage. I am on the ballot for Anchorage Assembly in District 5, currently being represented by Forrest Dunbar.  

My dad was stationed at Elmendorf AFB in 1970 and retired a few years later. I graduated from Dimond-Mears High School and earned my BA in Apparel Merchandising at Seattle Pacific University.  

My first several years after college were spent working in the fashion industry; one year in Seattle at the Bon Marche’ in their Fashion Office, and four years at Nordstrom Anchorage.  During that time, I worked as the Advertising, Sales Promotion, and Fashion Coordinator. My tasks included scheduling newspaper advertisements, calculating annual advertising budgets for each department, and producing fashion shows and events. My brief career ended shortly after I married. I had determined years prior that I wanted to set aside my career to focus on my family.  

My husband, Mike, and I met and married in 1989 after a 4-month whirlwind courtship. I’ve lived in east Anchorage ever since. We have been members of Anchorage Grace Church for decades and have 5 children, ages 29, 28, 27, 23, and 18.  I have spent the last 30 years raising and homeschooling our children and doing all sorts of volunteer work both in and out of the political arena. I have always leaned toward serving others, so being a political candidate in the limelight is very different for me.

I’ve always seen Anchorage as a great place to raise a family. All our children were born and raised here. I’ve seen Anchorage go through a lot of ups and downs over the years.  I decided to run for Anchorage Assembly because of the particularly high levels of dysfunction and division we have been experiencing the last few years. The trajectory that we have been on since my opponent took office is not the direction I’d like to see us go. I have considered running for Assembly for many years on and off, but never articulated it to anyone until recently. My life had been very busy and full, so the timing had never been right for me or our family, prior to last year. 

I have volunteered on various political campaigns, served as Alaska State Coordinator for TeenPact Leadership Schools for four years, instructed homeschool students in addition to my own; established and continue to oversee our Neighborhood Watch; served as secretary to our Republican House district, among other things. 

I consider my greatest achievement to be my children. Charlotte (from Charlotte’s Web) referred to her offspring as her “magnum opus”, which means “life’s most important work”. I take great pride in our children; they are all amazing people, with great careers and purposeful lives. They enjoy beautiful friendships with one another, and they have stellar reputations among their peers and colleagues.  

Being a full-time homeschooling mom is no small task and, although it comes with great rewards, it also carries significant challenges.  It requires you to be great at time management, proficient at conflict resolution, know how to prioritize, meet deadlines, provide crisis management, understand risk management, implement budgets, have skills in human resources, and execute project management– just to name a few. The family is a microcosm of society, so well-functioning families are vital to the success of society.  

Anchorage has always felt like a small town to me. Having lived here for so long, it is rare for me not to encounter someone I know when I am out and about. As I look around the city of Anchorage, there are times when it is barely recognizable to me. The biggest and most concerning difference I see is in the division and polarizing attitudes among residents.  I believe this is a direct result of the assembly’s words and actions towards the people of Anchorage.  

Several issues are of great concern to me: the mandates and lockdowns, increased taxes, assembly power grabs and political games, mail-in elections, and the homeless crisis. The harsh Covid-19 mandates and lockdowns were very detrimental to individuals and to our city as a whole.  Hundreds of businesses, both large and small, were lost. People suffered and died alone. Others were forced to delay medical screenings, treatments, and procedures because of lockdowns. It was particularly harmful to children and teens as they were cut off from friends, teachers, and others in their community as those key relationships were confined to computer screens.

In an effort to wield more power and control over the residents of Anchorage, the Assembly voted to alter the Charter to usurp powers enumerated to the executive branch. These types of actions destroy the balance of power and checks and balances established in the Charter. 

I believe in limited government, fiscal responsibility and personal liberty; freedom over force. We need to treat taxpayers’ hard earned dollars like the precious resource they are. I hope to bring much needed diversity to the assembly; not only racial diversity, but diversity of thought and experiences. I am eager to listen to people with different viewpoints and backgrounds. I don’t just pretend to care, but I sincerely want the best for my neighbors here in Anchorage. There is something about being a community member outside the “political elite” that gives you a unique perspective and connection to residents.

I am someone who would have been content with a quiet life well-lived. However, I refuse to stand by while the place I love deteriorates into a city people want to escape. Please know that if I am elected, I will do my best to listen to your concerns and make decisions that I believe are in the best interests of all of Anchorage. 

Turn in your ballots as soon as possible (postmarked by April 5th at the latest) and if you’re in East Anchorage with “Stephanie Taylor” on your ballot, I’d be grateful for your vote!     

Stephanie Taylor is a candidate for Assembly for East Anchorage.