I think I’ve previously mentioned that working in local government often affords the opportunity to delve into matters about which one might not otherwise cogitate. A phone call last week reminded me of just such a topic; towing.
For those who might be considering a visit to tomorrow evening’s Assembly meeting with the intent of voicing your opinion about the administration’s sidewalk ordinance, you may be interested to know the administration now intends to ask the Assembly not to act on the matter. The plan, I am told, is to send the measure to the Public Safety Advisory Commission for further review.
Let’s start with the basics. I live close to downtown, I work downtown, I frequently patronize a wide variety of downtown establishments, I’m part-owner of a downtown business and I support (and have worked in) our visitor industry. Under no circumstances would I ever want the image of downtown Anchorage to be that of John William Martin III.
The announcement that Anchorage filed a federal law suit regarding the proposed Knik Arm Crossing prompted speculation that I was somehow behind that decision. I know, because at least two prominent backers of the project expressed surprise when they discovered that not only did I have nothing to do with this decision, but I only learned about it when I read the story in the newspaper.
An administration proposal to eliminate a few municipal boards and commissions and set “sunset dates” for most of those remaining raised some hackles this week. And while I ultimately decided not to support the legislation, its passage isn’t as bad as some might think.
If you haven’t done so already, or perhaps even if you have, please read through yesterday’s article about fire code restrictions leading to the cancellation of a concert at The Dome and contemplate whether anything about it strikes you as just a little bit odd. After that, read on…
As I mentioned in my previous post, we’ve seen a steady flow of e-mail traffic regarding the re-write of Title 21, the section of municipal code that governs land use and planning. Over the past several years citizens, developers, planners and the Assembly worked together (and occasionally at odds with one another) to write new “provisionally adopted” chapters. With most of the heavy lifting complete the primary remaining task was reconciliation of that work to address inconsistencies and gaps, which is where we are today. And because that’s the same place we’ve been for about a year some folks are getting understandably antsy.
Summer in Alaska means there’s lots to do, which usually means less focus on matters political (probably a good thing). Still, there are quite a few activities going on so we’ll go around the horn with a quick synopsis:
With all the attention paid to other items on the Assembly’s most recent agenda, the relatively small contingent paying attention to an amendment to Anchorage’s noise code didn’t manage to break through the background, well, noise. That may change soon; here’s why:
If, as it has often been said, politics is indeed Alaska’s second favorite indoor sport then redistricting is the ugly, bloody side of it where sportsmanship often goes out the window (and, for some, is perhaps a four-letter word). Why? Because there are few things more fundamental to the political process than determining how neighborhoods will be represented. And as the state’s redistricting process moves forward the situation in which the municipality finds itself is, sadly, no surprise – hence our title term “snafu.”
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