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Mayoral Candidate Responses

Brought to you by USUAA Student Government

Thanks to USUAA Student Government, UAAVotes is proud to present mayoral candidate responses to questions submitted by the campus community and curated by students. 15 candidates filed to run; four completed USUAA's questionaire. 

• Bill Falsey
  Should public venues like Sullivan arena continue operating as mass shelters? What new solutions or strategies will you employ to address the continued homelessness crisis in Anchorage?

  The Municipality should invest in expanded and well-functioning mass shelters, but the Sullivan arena is not an ideal or permanent solution. There is a notion in the community that the municipality has, for years, been investing a tremendous amount in homelessness and receiving very little return on that investment. But that isn’t true. We, as a community, have strongly resisted much of any local investment in direct homeless response. We’ve passed through federal and state grants to non-profits; decades ago we gave Catholic Social Services a building; and in recent years we paid Beans for winter overflow, and that’s about it. But now we are off the charts: we have 200 more people in the shelter system right now than we have ever had in prior years; we have 400 people living in Sullivan; and more than 100 in hotels around town.

  We are not going back to overcrowding facilities at 3rd & Karluk, and that means:

  (1) we have to smartly deploy the federal grants that the municipality is currently receiving to rapidly divert people back out of homelessness, and get the total numbers down;

  (2) yes, create additional shelter capacity in new locations, but through an open, transparent and community-driven process that involves credible business plans and no surprises; shelters that should be operated by non-profits and connect people to services, but the municipality is going to have to help fund them; and

  (3) make the housing first, apartment-style-units-with-wrap-around-services investments that we know will work, that do not negatively impact the community, and which will really start to draw people out of the homeless system all together.

  Under your direction, how would the Anchorage Police Department be deployed to most effectively reduce crime? Are you in favor of expanding or reducing the size of the current police force?
  Public safety is the first responsibility of local government. As municipal manager, I strongly supported the Anchorage Police Department. I worked to restore law enforcement to the Seward Highway and to Girdwood, after the Alaska State Troopers left the municipality. I helped move the Police Department back downtown and supported commonsense, customer-service improvements—equipping officers with cell phones and turning on 311. As municipal attorney, when the city saw spikes in “spice” consumption and joyriding cases, I supported innovative new local laws to combat each—and saw results: spice cases and vehicle thefts dropped significantly, and have continued to fall, year over year. As mayor, I'll continue to strongly support our first responders, and preserve our public safety gains.

  A big part of those gains were achieved by growing the size of the force. In 2015, the Police Executive Research Forum reviewed Anchorage’s crime statistics and officers’ workloads, and concluded that Anchorage, which then had 369 sworn officers, should have 446. Today, we are much closer, at about 435. That’s a success story.

  The focus now should be on better criminal intelligence and investigatory capabilities, as well as improved customer service. In the near term, any additional staffing should likely be on the non-sworn side—911 dispatchers, records clerks, etc.— to improve response times.

  What are your long-term plans for Anchorage after the pandemic? How do you plan to rebuild?
  Anchorage will still be dealing with the economic fallout of COVID when the new mayor takes office in July 2021. After more than a year of high unemployment, low oil prices, a challenging state fiscal climate, traumatic restaurant and small-business closures, and a new work-from-home culture that may permanently change the commercial real-estate market, targeted support will be critical to getting our economy back to full strength, and preventing a hollowing out of downtown. I plan to encourage new development, a more vibrant downtown, and position Anchorage to thrive: in a post-COVID, Zoom-capable world, Anchorage’s comparative advantage is—as the world has increasingly discovered—that we’re community where workers and families want to be. Playing to our strengths as a headquarters city and a hub for tourism, we can remain the vibrant place we know and love—a city of unrivaled community, beauty and opportunity. Practically, that means working on several fronts.

  First, Anchorage must continue to invest in its more typical capital projects. In recent years, voters have annually approved approximately:

  (1) $60-$80 million in school projects (replacing roofs, HVACs, etc.);

  (2) $35-$43 million in road and drainage projects;

  (3) $5-$6 million in public transit and safety projects (acquiring buses and ambulances, upgrading our emergency wireless network, improving school zones, and the like);

  (4) $5 million in public facility improvements (senior centers, libraries, the cemetery);

  (5) $4 million in parks and trail projects; (5) $2-$3.5 million in fire projects largely consisting of acquiring apparatus); and

  (6) $2.5-$3.5 million for police projects (crime lab renovation, acquisition of new police vehicles). Last year, Anchorage also approved its first-ever proposition to build “life/safety access roads,” which will provide critical secondary access for areas of town for which there is currently only one way in and one way out (and which, as a result, are more susceptible to the dangers posed by increased wildfire risk).

  As we seek to recover from COVID, I would also selectively prioritize, where possible, necessary projects that involve construction activities (road projects, building projects), rather than mere equipment acquisition (acquiring new vehicles). Well-chosen local infrastructure projects can provide a needed economic stimulus with strong multiplier effects.

  Second, beyond Anchorage’s typical capital investments, the #1 project is, and must be, completing new cargo docks at the Port of Alaska. The Port of Alaska is a critical economic and national security lifeline. Much of what we eat, buy and wear, the vast majority of the cement used in Alaska’s construction projects, half of the jet fuel used at Ted Stevens International Airport, and substantially all of the fuel used by JBER comes across its docks. But the work is not finished—and we’re racing against the clock. The main docks are over 50-years old, and are failing. To keep Alaska in safe and business, we can’t stop making progress—nearly half of all the goods received by Alaska come across the cargo docks, and the facility serves a vital national security purpose, in as much as it supports rapid deployments that allow Alaska bases to credibly “force project” to North Korea and China. Moreover, completing the project couldn’t come at a better time—the final project cost will amount to a substantial fraction of $1 billion, providing much needed economic activity as Anchorage seeks to rebound from the COVID pandemic. The project will almost certainly be funded by a combination of federal grants, proceeds from a state general obligation bond, and debt supported by local cargo-tariff adjustments.

  Third, I would invest significantly in efforts to improve Anchorage’s housing stock. In just last few years I worked with the Anchorage Water and Wastewater Utility to make real a new approach to affordably financing the costs of water and sewer lines that had high-centered some new residential construction projects. We should continue to use and improve that process.

  In addition, the state legislature in 2017 through SB 100 newly invited municipalities through its tax system to incentivize activities that ultimately grow the economy and tax base. As first steps, I drafted ordinances to make use of that power to reward construction of residential units downtown, and affordable and workforce housing units in transit corridors. The next steps are both to work closely with the community of builders to see where projects are now failing to pencil, and if the SB 100 tool can be used to incentivize renovation of some of our substandard housing that it just beyond its useful life.

  Further, supporting affordable housing options for seniors, such as expanded availability of ADUs (or “mother-in-law” apartments), will better allow our seniors to downside and lessen the “housing gridlock” phenomenon.

  Fourth, I would focus significant attention on downtown. A vibrant, clean and safe downtown is critical to Anchorage’s success. Investments and partnerships that ensure downtown continues to thrive, and that make downtown more walkable and active will serve all of us well. Anchorage will need to ensure that the local conditions needed for a robust return of tourism and a thriving restaurant and cultural scene are met. That will include everything from encouraging new construction; to using the mayor’s bully pulpit to encourage residents to patronize recovering businesses; to new marketing initiatives with Visit Anchorage and increased convention-center bookings; to working with the Anchorage Downtown Partnership and other organizations to engage in strong placemaking, space-activation, and other revitalization efforts. It can also include street-configuration changes to permit support more open-air dining and pedestrian promenades.

  Fifth, I would work to leverage and (with Visit Anchorage and the Parks Foundation) market our trails and parks to support our tourism sector and attract a new segment of adventure tourist. Initiatives like the “Alaska Long Trail” are worth pursuing.

  Sixth, I would advocate for the legislature to adopt a sustainable fiscal plan and provide adequate support to our university. The state’s fiscal uncertainty is a significant impediment to business investment, and the greatest economic returns will come from greater investments in our human capital.

  Last, I would partner with the performing arts center, museum and other cultural and arts groups to ensure that we have a thriving arts and culture scene. Ensuring that Anchorage remains a world-class place to “live, work, and play” will be key to oureconomic future.

  How do you plan to address domestic violence and sexual assault in Anchorage? How do you plan to continue supporting survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault?
  As municipal attorney, I supported continued investment in a special unit in the municipal prosecutor’s office that is specifically tasked with domestic violence and sexual assault cases. As Municipal Manager, I supported efforts by the Anchorage Police Department to completely resolve the backlog of untested sexual assault test kits, and to maintain investments in the Sexual Assault Response Team. We also continued to award discretionary grant funds to AWAIC and other partner institutions. As mayor, I would continue those efforts, while also trying to better prioritize prevention and awareness initiatives.

  What is the role of the Municipality in supporting UAA students both before and after graduation? How can the relationship between UAA and the Anchorage community be improved?
  There is no great city that is not also a university town. All thriving cities in America have at least one world-class university. We should foster greater innovation and stronger alliances between UAA and our city government.

  UAA has been a key part of Anchorage’s COVID response. Our new and continuing partnerships with UAA are helping the municipality make smarter, better decisions. And the data we’re sharing with UAA is opening new research frontiers, while expanding opportunities for students. As mayor, I would better integrate UAA students into the city government’s boards and commissions; look to expand internship and employment opportunities; and proactively partner with the university on initiatives like our ongoing implementation of the Anchorage Climate Action Plan.

  I would also vocally advocate for more state investment in the university, as an investment in our local human capital – in ourselves – which we know will yield incredibly high economic returns, and generally improve quality of life in the city. Creating a permanent and more formal research and policy relationship with our local universities is an all-around win.

• Forrest Dunbar

  Should public venues like Sullivan arena continue operating as mass shelters? What new solutions or strategies will you employ to address the continued homelessness crisis in Anchorage?
  I supported the use of the Sullivan Arena at the height of the pandemic. Similar to when other cities make use of large arenas for shelter during natural disasters, it was necessary for the
  Municipality to use the Arena in response to this unprecedented event. However, as we exit the acute COVID crisis, we need additional non-congregate shelters and long-term housing options to ensure that people experiencing homelessness can be transitioned out of the Sullivan mass shelter successfully.

  I believe as a Municipality we need to offer additional, smaller-scale shelter and housing options and provide personalized services to residents, along the continuum of care. We also need to work with the State to make sure substance use disorder treatment beds are available to those who need them, and provide additional behavioral and mental health resources. To this end, I’m encouraged by the additional resources that are now coming online: we have money from the alcohol tax, new investments from private entities like the Rasmuson Foundation, and millions of dollars of HUD funds that are part of the COVID relief packages. This confluence of funds should make a real impact on homelessness in the years to come, and help us reach functional zero, where homelessness is a brief, one-time occurrence for most of Anchorage’s residents who are housing insecure.

  Under your direction, how would the Anchorage Police Department be deployed to most effectively reduce crime? Are you in favor of expanding or reducing the size of the current police force?
  In my time on the Assembly, we have worked to rebuild APD back to a right-sized department for our community by putting 100 new sworn officers on the street. APD recently stood up a cold-case unit and crime rates are heading in the right direction as a result of years of reinvestment in public safety; I will continue to work with residents to further that downward trend. I championed the development of the Mental Health First Responders, along with Assembly members Zaletel, Quinn-Davidson, and Constant, and believe that non-traditional programs are one of the most important ways that we move the needle on public safety going forward. Having trained behavioral health specialists respond to people in crisis both improves outcomes for those residents, and can remove as many as 7,000 cases from the APD “stack” per year, allowing them to focus on the violent and other crimes that they are best equipped to handle. There is still more work to be done at the Department too—we need more non-sworn personnel like dispatchers and technicians, for example—but progress has been made.

  We must also continue to build trust between the Department and the community. We should listen to community groups when they raise concerns, use neighborhood design and increased community engagement to reduce crime, and implement an effective Body Camera system. Fostering greater engagement by organizing community cleanups, creating gardens on empty plots, and public art are all crime mitigation practices that don’t require police time and improve quality of life.

  What are your long-term plans for Anchorage after the pandemic? How do you plan to rebuild?
  I plan to rebuild not back to normal, but better than what we had before. Anyone who says they want to return to “normal” is mistaken in believing that the status quo was working for all our residents. This pandemic has highlighted the inequalities and weaknesses in our government that already existed. But I believe we can be a vibrant city that attracts and retains a trained and talented workforce with world-class outdoor recreation opportunities and walkable, bikeable neighborhoods where our cultural diversity is on full-display, where child care is accessible and high-quality, and housing is affordable.

  Ultimately our growth will be driven by the individuals and businesses who choose to invest in Anchorage. As we compete with the rest of the country for a workforce that can work from anywhere, we need to make Anchorage the obvious choice. That means incentivizing and removing barriers to affordable housing development, investing in and marketing our world-class trail and parks system, cultivating the independent visitor economy, revitalizing our downtown, fostering a sense of Indigenous place, partnering with the university, and proactively going to bat for every opportunity that will bring the jobs of the future to Anchorage.

  How do you plan to address domestic violence and sexual assault in Anchorage? How do you plan to continue supporting survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault?
  The Municipality must lead the way in making Anchorage safe for the UAA community and all of our residents. While on the Assembly, I sponsored and passed an ordinance to allow domestic violence survivors to remove their name from a searchable property database, after advocates informed the Municipality that this left some survivors vulnerable to their abusers. I also support homeless services not only because it is intrinsicly the humane thing to do, but because we know that residents experiencing homelessness are much more likely to be subject to physical and sexual violence.

  Becoming a safer community begins with mobilizing men as allies, providing education on consent, bystander intervention and what healthy and unhealthy relationships look like. My Administration will also work with community partners to make sure written resources are posted in locations where victims can easily and safely access the information they need, like bathrooms and changing rooms.

  Finally, we must also acknowledge the disproportionate domestic and sexual violence perpetrated on our Indigenous people. Today there are Alaska Native-led groups, like Native People’s Action, who have brought the issue of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women & Girls to the forefront, and we as the Municipality must be receptive and responsive to their leadership on this issue. The Anchorage Police Department must be open to meeting regularly with these groups, sharing with them the critical data needed to understand the scope of the challenge, and working on suggested policy reforms brought directly by those groups or through the Public Safety Commission.

  What is the role of the Municipality in supporting UAA students both before and after graduation? How can the relationship between UAA and the Anchorage community be improved?
  Most thriving cities around the world have at least one large, high-quality university that is closely integrated with local industry and government, the so-called “campus as catalyst” model. Partly in recognition of those opportunities, when I was first elected to the Assembly I helped restart the UAA/APU Assembly Internship Program. Going forward, my Mayoral Administration will work to build bridges between the Municipality and both UAA and APU, with regular meetings between staff, and a voice for students in our decision making. We will also use the platform of the Mayor’s Office, working with the Assembly, to highlight and oppose any draconian cuts to the University of Alaska. Both of my parents are graduates of the University of Alaska Fairbanks, and so cuts to the University are personally resonant with me; I’m also of the opinion that we cannot allow the different campuses to be turned against one another.

  During their time at the university, we need to do a better job of connecting students with local jobs and opportunities to grow their skills, and see what career paths around them are possible. Post-graduation, we need to offer students housing they can afford, good-paying job opportunities, and a community they want to build their families and long-term careers in. We should capitalize on having the resource of a college campus in Anchorage, but right now it can sometimes feel like an island—to begin to maximize this resource we also need better trail connections and public transit connections from the UMED area to the rest of the city.

  Finally, we know that the UMED neighborhood is a food desert, without walkable, affordable shopping options. The previous Administration attempted to leverage Municipally-owned land at the corner of Tudor and Elmore for the construction of a privately-owned grocery store (as well as additional housing). This project fell through, but I will seek to revive it during my term as Mayor, if we can find an appropriate private partner.

• Heather Herndon

  Should public venues like Sullivan arena continue operating as mass shelters? What new solutions or strategies will you employ to address the continued homelessness crisis in Anchorage?
  I have a 3-part solution for the homeless crisis beyond lifting the mandate so everyone can get back to work. The situation is so dire, I may be hiring in bulk and orchestrating resources directly. I will be pushing construction projects being held up at the planning commission and decreasing permitting fees to immediately boost the economy. Plans for Veterans Housing and working with Native Corporations will be the bulk of the solution. I will segregate career criminals from those that suffered hardship and long to return back to the workforce and lift them back up into society with housing and a job.

  Under your direction, how would the Anchorage Police Department be deployed to most effectively reduce crime? Are you in favor of expanding or reducing the size of the current police force?
  The reversal of mandates and bringing back the economy will decrease some crime. Further decreasing taxes and debt with joint-venture equity for new jobs in non-overlapping industries will decrease further crime. Anchorage will return to a 1970’s model where police will focus on career criminals, human trafficking and drug cartels while another arm of the police department will keep the peace unless it escalates. I would decrease the four times the police were called regarding the same issue to one ticketed caution before action is taken. I will not be defunding the police nor allowing them to be politicized, used as bodyguards for elected officials or mandate police.

  What are your long-term plans for Anchorage after the pandemic? How do you plan to rebuild?
  Ending the mandate will revive the restaurant and hospitality industry. Construction on slated development, funded by private funds and some by public funds, will be an immediate boast to the economy. In 90 days I will negotiate Letters of Intent from non-overlapping private industries that will bring new skilled jobs here to Anchorage. Did you know Anchorage was going to have a financial center until the politicians got in the way? So many things were promised but later denied to Alaskans. I’m 4th generation Alaskan and blessed with my degrees, licenses and decades of experience in the same wheelhouse as the criteria to do the Mayor’s job. I bring that with me now to create and share what I know to advance us into the future. Any decent project manager worth their salt can do the Mayor’s job better than any attorney or small businessman.

  How do you plan to address domestic violence and sexual assault in Anchorage? How do you plan to continue supporting survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault?
  I will work with the state legislature to pass severe punishment for pedophiles. I would support capital punishment for pedophiles.
  In 2015, I know APD was 5 years behind on rape charges. Any false rape charges will get jail time. In 2003, I know the district attorney for Anchorage stated to me that she wasn’t sure if she had jurisdiction over to charge the rapist. This will be remedied.
  Domestic violence also increased as the economy fails. Some of it is going to be cleaned up with the economy coming back. Some of will not and requires legal action. Either way, I’m a strong believer of group therapy with other survivors.

  What is the role of the Municipality in supporting UAA students both before and after graduation? How can the relationship between UAA and the Anchorage community be improved?
  Alumni. I would certainly elevate ANSEP further and market it more because I’ve had several people ask me what ANSEP’s function. It is the link between ASD, UAA and industries/businesses. Promote it.

• Joe Westfall

  Should public venues like Sullivan arena continue operating as mass shelters? What new solutions or strategies will you employ to address the continued homelessness crisis in Anchorage?
  No. That is only temporary based on COVID-19 reaction by Mayor and Assembly. The Anchorage property tax payer should not have to be responsible for the care of Anchorage homeless people.

  Under your direction, how would the Anchorage Police Department be deployed to most effectively reduce crime? Are you in favor of expanding or reducing the size of the current police force?
  Eliminate the "every cop gets his own car" waste of money, and utilize the "vehicle pool" method where the cop has possession of the vehicle only during their shift. The vehicle pool needs to be located at a central point in Anchorage. No more parking vehicles at Eklutna for those that are commuting from the valley. The savings achieved through converting to the vehicle pool method should be utilized to hire more police officers if necessary.

  What are your long-term plans for Anchorage after the pandemic? How do you plan to rebuild?
  Retail business needs to be returned to normal operation without restrictions. If the business desires that masks and social distancing should be an option to run their business then that is the decision of the business and not of the city. If a virus hotspot is detected then the city can become involved to correct the problem with the cooperation of the business owner. Returning 2 normal business routines will rebuild Anchorage Municipal Borough.

  How do you plan to address domestic violence and sexual assault in Anchorage? How do you plan to continue supporting survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault?
  For the villain, incarceration without bail to keep the villain from attacking the victim again. In the case of sexual assault by a male villain, removal of the penis should help eliminate future attacks on the current victim as well as other citizens. For the victim, the incarceration of the villain should provide some measure of ongoing safety support. Determine if any nonprofit organization supporting the victim needs additional help from the municipality.

  What is the role of the Municipality in supporting UAA students both before and after graduation? How can the relationship between UAA and the Anchorage community be improved?
  At this point I have not had the opportunity to do sufficient research to answer the scope of this question. So for now, I will defer my answer until after elected and then deal with it.

   

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