Note: This was collaboratively written by Representative Donna Mears and myself, Senator James Kaufman. We serve as co-chairs of the Anchorage Delegation during the 33rd Legislature.
The Municipality of Anchorage faces serious challenges: education, housing, energy and transportation infrastructure, just to name a few. Solutions to these big issues are often nonpartisan, but progress can stall if there is not a strong bipartisan effort to move forward.
The Anchorage bowl sends more legislators to Juneau than any other region, and yet, a united approach to advocating for core municipal issues has been limited, or nonexistent, for a long time.
As a delegation, we have diverse perspectives and positions on many issues, but we also have areas of common ground. As we organized the Anchorage Delegation in January 2023, we decided to take a more focused and engaged approach.
As co-chairs of the delegation, we take a proactive role in helping to identify common sense, broadly supported policy and budget initiatives that will effectively address the pressing needs of our municipality. As a bicameral delegation made up of Republicans, Democrats and independents, we have collectively agreed to focus and work together on a few key issues that we can all agree on.
Last year, the Anchorage Delegation was focused on receiving and retaining a state funding grant for the critically needed modernization program of the newly renamed Don Young Port of Alaska in Anchorage. Our collective advocacy ended a multi-year effort that secured more than $200 million in both state and federal grants.
In the past year, we also gathered to hear about the issues facing our community from the people who know those issues best. We met with the Native Village of Eklutna, the mayor and his office, the Assembly, the Anchorage School Board, the Anchorage Economic Development Corp., and the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities. We held these meetings to ground our delegation in a shared set of facts and to help generate consensus about opportunities we can pursue at the state level.
This year, the delegation is focused on an array of issues including snow removal, homelessness and mental health, energy, and downtown revitalization, along with our continued support for the Port of Alaska project. Our group meets regularly during the legislative session to discuss needed actions and share ideas and resources with each other. Ultimately, this collaborative effort reflects our shared commitment to drive positive change across the Municipality of Anchorage.
We encourage you to get involved. The Anchorage Delegation will be holding a town hall at Cuddy Hall on the University of Alaska Anchorage campus on March 9 from 2-4 p.m. We hope you’ll bring your own experiences and ideas for how we can move Anchorage forward. As always, please reach out to your legislator by phone or email. Your input makes our job representing you possible!
