Joe Miller Met Mayor Dan Once, It Went Awkwardly.
Joe Miller, age 46, US Senate Candidate came out of seemingly nowhere to beat incumbent and heir to the throne Senator Lisa Murkowski in the 2010 Republican primary. She then ran as an “Independent” – and won. Leaving Joe to fester in Fairbanks and become a lowly blogger. Now he’s running again – this time against Democrat (no, I’m sorry… “Independent”) Mark Begich who used to have…Mayor Dan Sullivan’s current gig. Mayor Dan Sullivan, age 61, son of Mayor George Sullivan now is running, um… for something. In 2010 he was spending a lot of time with a party planner…
Mayor Dan Sullivan Seeks Higher Office
On Thursday, Anchorage Mayor Dan Sullivan filed a letter of intent to run for statewide office. He did not report the office for which he will be running on his APOC form, but the rumor mill has ben churning on this one, and all indications are he’ll be running for Lt. Governor, just as all indications are that current Lite Gov Mead Treadwell will be running for the U.S. Senate seat currently occupied by Mark Begich. As in Hawaii and Utah, Alaska’s Lieutenant Governor runs a completely separate race from the gubernatorial candidates. So, who would get stuck with “Mayor…
Did You Miss Irony Week?
I have to admit, I missed it. Apparently it was Irony Week in the Municipality from May 5-11. Luckily we have Mayor Dan Sullivan on the job, raising Irony Week to new heights of… well, irony. This winter, hundreds of people – municipal workers of all stripes, and supporters from the community, filed into the Assembly chambers to protest the erosion of collective bargaining rights, and threats to the livelihood of public workers in the form of the Mayor’s Ordinance 37. They stood in line, they waited in seats, they filled the lobby. They went on their day off, their…
Election Good News!
Yes. Election. Good. News. Let’s just sit with that for a moment. As always, there are the last ballots to be counted, and write-in votes to be scrutinized, but here’s where we stand so far: Bettye Davis for School Board handed Don Smith his walking papers (and his rear end) with a decisive 54-45 victory for the seat Smith currently occupies. Bettye is amazing in her own right, but Don Smith’s latest shenanigans and nastiness didn’t help his cause. Davis recently lost her established State Senate seat after Republican redistricting sliced up her former district. It’s good to have her…
Hall Gets Flamed by Fire Department
A letter to Anchorage Assembly Chair Ernie Hall, from Tom Wescott, President of the Alaska Professional Firefighters about Ordinance 37, which is scheduled to be voted on by the Assembly on Tuesday, March 26. Mr. Hall is up for re-election on Tuesday, April 2. Hall is opposed by write-in candidate Nick Moe. Click HERE to learn what you can do to support Moe’s campaign, and to see if you are in the district. March 25, 2013 Chairman Hall, I am writing you to express my disgust in the role you have played in AO-37. As someone who assured our local…
The Many Faces of Ernie Hall
As Tuesday draws near, bringing with it the probable passage of Mayor Sullivan’s anti-labor “Employee Relations Act,” I still have a question for Assembly Chair Ernie Hall. Among the ardent supporters of Anchorage Ordinance 37, on which Chair Hall’s name is listed as the sponsor, are lawmakers who crusaded against unions during their campaigns. During his first run against Dick Traini, Andy Clary told a crowd that he felt limiting city contracts to the public sector was “wrong.” Back in 2010, he said: “I believe that excludes a whole crop of private contractors out there which, if we opened the…
AO37 Testimony Ends, Vote May Be Delayed (VIDEO)
Last night was the last round of scheduled public testimony on Anchorage Ordinance 37, which would take away the rights of municipal unions for binding arbitration, the right to strike, and would restrict annual raises. AO37 would also utilize managed competition to outsource city work done by public employees to private companies. For another five-hour session, city workers and supporters of labor stood on the podium and gave their three-minute testimony. Sadly, their opinions and experiences seemed less interesting to the Mayor than his manicure. Ultimately, police officers, firefighters, city employees, and concerned citizens were left standing in line to…
Open Thread – Puppet Show!
Please remember this at the ballot box if you live in West Anchorage! We don’t need another Sullivan puppet on the Anchorage Assembly. Please consider donating to, and supporting Tim Steele, even if you live outside the district. He’s got the backing of former Assembly member (now House Rep) Harriet Drummond, and many of Anchorage’s top education professionals. There are only 11 Assembly members, and the decisions they make affect ALL of us, so do your part to get good people there! Tim Steele for Anchorage!
I love my city, and I love my job
“It’s starting to feel like a rock concert.” I agreed with the anonymous voice drifting over the mass of people, packed like sardines into the lobby of the Assembly chambers. Bright lights were on, TV cameras set up, and people were fanning themselves with folders, and papers. Everyone was here to testify on Ordinance 37, the mayor’s attempt to take advantage of the current makeup of the Assembly to push through a law that would restrict workers’ rights, and curtail collective bargaining for public unions. The turnout was impressive. I wasn’t sure if anyone had shown up to testify in…
R’s with Cold Feet Avoid Constituents (PHOTOS)
During a day of passionate activism, and constituent engagement, it was interesting to note which elected officials showed up to listen, and which did not. At the Loussac Library in Anchorage, the troops were out in force. It was a rare moment. Because Alaska’s capital, Juneau, is not on the road system, it means to to look your elected officials in the eye during the legislative session requires a $400 plane ticket, and a day’s worth of travel time. Many are irked by this arrangement of geography and politics, so when Anchorage legislators come to town to hear testimony…