[UPDATE 7/19/22: I just spoke with another key person about what’s stated in my intro here, and he/she was not aware of some of these former Assembly members wanting to testify regarding the original language of the charter or an AO that they passed while they were in office. Immediately after I posted this, I asked the key person whom I first talked with if what I wrote here was true, and he/she said it’s accurate. I don’t know why this other key person does not also know this, so I’m not sure what’s said in my intro now.]
This Tuesday, 7/12/22, the Anchorage Assembly voted 9-3 to approve AO 2022-60, which allows them to easily remove any mayor who violates one of the violations that attorney Bill Falsey wrote into the bill. Falsey had lost the election to now Mayor Dave Bronson, and could run for mayor if Bronson was removed. The Assembly paid Falsey about $100,000 to do the research and write the ordinance. This is “loose,” a term that Jeff Landfield often says.
I was told previously that two of the former Anchorage Assembly members which Assemblyperson Jamie Allard mentions here [on the Dan Fagan’s show, below], were going to testify that the language in the charter they voted on decades ago, and is in the charter now, had nothing to do with removal of the mayor; though, Bill Falsey wrote AO 2022-60, building on that language in the charter as if it did apply to the mayor. Apparently, it was only written for the potential removal of Assembly or school board members.
If the language in the charter has nothing to do with removal of the mayor, then Christopher Constant’s bill that Falsey researched and wrote, AO-60 has no basis, since Falsey has said this language in the charter is what he was building on, adding specific language, making it easy to remove mayor — which violates separation of powers and the people’s right to choose and remove the mayor.
What Jamie Allard said on the Mike Porcaro Show yesterday:
“We had former Assembly members there. We had Debbie Ossiander, we had Dick Traini. Craig Campbell was showing up. Bill Starr was showing up. I had called Mark [Begich?]. He was out of the net, but he said if he could have he would have shown up. We had legends that were testifying, and unfortunately I wasn’t able to get them on to testify.”
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By Dave Bronson Jul 14th 2022