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Politics is a process of trial by fire, and of course sometimes that fire burns down cities.
Many candidates distinguish themselves only by the size of the bomb they throw at the enemy.
What about actual accomplishments, ideas expressed specifically, and actual candidate characters?
That's why I support Anchorage mayoral candidate Chris Tuck.
Current Mayor Dave Bronson and former Anchorage Council President Suzanne LaFrance have waged a violent and bitter war against each other. It's polluting the whole city. Their battle led to litigation with huge financial costs. That cost is on our city, not them. City charters have been ignored, laws have been ignored, and the public itself has been ignored.
It made a lot of us say – hey, these guys are both problems, and you know, we don't have to vote for one or the other.
Anchorage has been named an All-American city four times. This is a major accomplishment for the few cities that have achieved that honor. Unfortunately, Bronson and LaFrance made Anchorage a contender for America's most embarrassing city. $160 million wasted on a failure to address homelessness, unsafe neighborhoods, an inability to address our signature challenges of snow management, and endless pointing fingers at who is to blame. Ta. .
In Anchorage, the election is just days away.
Here's an idea. Please take Bronson and LaFrance off your list. Neither Dave Bronson nor Suzanne LaFrance should be mayor of Anchorage. period.
Chris Tuck has been a proud union member for many years, served on the school board, served in the state legislature, and now has built a small business across the state with 14 employees. Other mayoral candidates don't have as much real-world work or legislative experience as Tuck.
I have worked for many decades for many of Alaska's great political leaders, from Congress to the U.S. Senate. Chris Tuck has all the qualities of a great leader. He is a caring person who genuinely loves people and listens with an open heart. He also knows when it's time to gather information, make a decision, and take responsibility for it.
Back in August, when Mr. Tuck began his campaign, 38 women wrote op-eds detailing why they thought Mr. Tuck was the best candidate on the issues important to them. This speaks volumes about the kind of leader Tuck has become through his years of community involvement and public service. The state's Democratic and Republican leaders alike have written about Tuck's willingness and ability to work across the aisle to get solutions to important issues of economic development, education and public safety. People who can create this kind of broad support are exactly what Anchorage needs.
Politics of “my way or the highway'' has never yielded results for the people as a whole. The real people who make up Anchorage's workforce, who send their kids to Anchorage schools, and who expect their kids to play in safe neighborhoods, are hardworking, real politicians who can get the job done. I want a mentor.
Chris Tuck is the only candidate with a proven track record of doing just that in this April 2nd election. He is by far the best person we could have chosen to be Anchorage's next mayor.
Art Hackney was born in 1951 in Anchorage. Her late father was a longtime state representative, and Art has managed political and corporate communications messages for candidates and issues for more than 40 years.
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