Tim Barto: Anchorage elections coming to an end. Have you voted your ballot?

By TIM BARTO | ALASKA FAMILY COUNCIL

Is your municipal ballot you received still sitting on the kitchen counter? Municipal elections tend to arouse as much excitement as a Bernie Sanders’ diatribe on income inequality. But the reality is that the current Anchorage municipal election is important.

If nothing else, it’s important to the Left. The pronoun people love local elections. It’s where they test drive starry-eyed socialists to see if they have the mettle to move up the ladder to statewide offices and beyond; and they know it’s easier to implement their policies in local arenas, especially because not much attention is paid by conservatives who don’t read Must Read Alaska.

Just look at the make up of the current Municipal Assembly. Nine of the twelve would fit comfortably on the AOC political spectrum. They’ve been ruling the Assembly like a Brezhnev-era Politburo, and now that Mayor Bronson has been replaced by one of their own, there is little to hamper their march toward forced collectivism.

The Anchorage School Board is arguably even worse. Brezhnev be damned, their vision of a Mao-like central committee would be a reality if it wasn’t for the lone and long-suffering conservative, Dave Donley.

And that is why your vote in this municipal election is important.

There are six Assembly seats and two School Board seats up for grabs, and 12 propositions on the ballot.

CLICK HERE to check out our 2025 Values Voter Guide for the upcoming Municipality of Anchorage election.

Now here’s the rundown…

District 1 – Downtown Anchorage
Incumbent Daniel Volland has two challengers: Daniel Goerge and Nick Danger. None of the three candidates returned Alaska Family Council’s Voter Guide questionnaire. The incumbent is most certainly not one of the three conservatives on the Assembly. Daniel George is endorsed by Randy Sulte, one of the three conservative members of the Assembly. Nick Danger is a perennial candidate, having thrown his hat in the ring for previous Assembly seats as well as mayor and state house.

District 2 – Chugiak, Eagle River, JBER
Incumbent Mark Littlefield is stepping down, so the seat is wide open. Three candidates have thrown their names in the hat: Kyle Walker, David Littleton, and Jared Goecker. Only Goecker filled out AFC’s Voter Guide. Littleton did not  pay property taxes on his Eagle River home until he filed as a candidate. He is, however, backed by unionists Kelly and Joe Merrick. The same unions are going after Goecker, running social media ads that warn against voting for Goecker without mentioning any other candidates. The ads are being run by “Putting Alaskans First” which lists their top three contributors as NEA Advocacy Fund of Washington, D.C.; Alaska AFL-CIO of Anchorage, AK; and NEA-Alaska PACE of Juneau, Alaska.

District 3 – West Anchorage
Incumbent Kameron Perez-Verdia has a challenger in first time candidate Amie Steen. Neither responded to AFC’s Voter Guide. Perez-Verdia is as left wing as they come. There is little information available about Steen, other than she’s concerned about high property taxes and is serving in the Air Force Reserve.

District 4 – Midtown Anchorage
This is an open seat race between Erin Baldwin and Don Smith. Neither candidate responded to AFC’s Voter Guide questions. Baldwin lists her occupation as economic justice organizer, which pretty much screams Leftist. Smith was an Assemblyman for 10 years back in the ‘70s and 80s.  

District 5 – East Anchorage
Angela Frank, John Stiegele, and Yarrow Silvers. None of these candidates replied to AFC’s Voter Guide questions. Frank gave Mayor LaFrance an A grade, and a B+ to the Assembly. Stiegele has not provided much information about himself, but he gave D grades to both Mayor LaFrance and the Assembly. Silvers describes herself as an environmental scientist, stay-at-home mom, political writer, and legislative aide. She helped found the liberal blog, Alaska Current.

District 6 – South Anchorage & Girdwood
Incumbent Randy Sulte’s term is up, and there are two candidates seeking to replace him:  Darin Colbry and Keith McCormick. Neither candidate responded to AFC’s Voter Guide questions. Colbry’s major concerns are crime and homelessness, and he gives Mayor LaFrance and the Assembly poor marks for their response to these issues. McCormick is a Physician Assistant and former U.S. Marine who wants to see more leadership out of the Mayor and Assembly to solve the homelessness and crime that plague Alaska.

School District Races

Seat A
Margo Bellamy is the incumbent, and she’s being challenged by Alexander Rosales. Rosales completed the AFC Voter Guide questionnaire. Bellamy is the epitome of leftist ASD board members. She supports the District’s policy to not advise parents if students want to change their names, pronouns, or genders at school. Rosales is an Air Force veteran and father of two ASD students. He wants to save girls’ sports, give parents priority in making decisions about their children, and is against DEI in the school system.

Seat B
Incumbent Kelly Lessens is being challenged by Mark Anthony Cox. Cox completed the AFC Voter Guide questionnaire. Lessens is an integral part of the Leftist school board majority. Cox is an Army veteran who is running for school board because he does not like the liberal policies of the current board. He favors cutting spending and finding a new superintendent.

Tim Barto is the vice president of Alaska Family Action.