In recent weeks two more alcohol-related issues have come to the fore, universal ID checks for package liquor stores and a proposal to convert the Red Roof Inn into housing for chronic homeless inebriates. Both have generated some concerns.
Clark Yerrington, a Mountain View resident and activist with a blog of his own, sent me a thoughtful list of questions to answer for posting on his site. You’re welcome to review them there or here:
One of my neighbors recently e-mailed me with an update on efforts to establish a new dog park on this side of town. I always appreciate folks keeping me in the loop on these sorts of things as it better enables me to spread the word and keep others informed. Then, at the end of the e-mail, came this question:
P.S. Why does Downtown only have one assembly seat?
Alaska political theory holds that summer is the quiet time of year. The legislature isn’t in session (unless there’s a “special” one), any campaigning is usually pretty quiet, and Alaskans tend to pursue other activities like fishing, hiking and gardening. While that theory may hold true in other years it certainly isn’t the case during this one! So, in addition to all the other things I’ve written about or you’ve seen in the local media, here’s a few more items percolating away: (more…)
As I wrote back in January, one of the good aspects about things going wrong is the opportunity to improve upon mistakes. Last night’s Government Hill community council meeting was an excellent example.
With bonds now set for the April ballot, a topic to which I’ll likely return prior to the election, I’d like to switch gears a bit and cover a somewhat different topic. Below is a copy of an e-mail I sent to my Assembly colleagues on Thursday, February 5: (more…)
One of the good things that happen when things go wrong is the opportunity to see where room for improvement lies. Wednesday morning’s awful weather and road conditions provided a good example when an accident on the north end of the A/C couplet closed vehicular access to Government Hill. I’m still not clear what caused the accident, but I did notice traffic backed up across the bridge around 9 am when I was driving underneath on my way to a meeting. Whatever the cause, for a little more than two hours no vehicle could get on or off Government Hill without driving through Elmendorf Air Force Base.
One interesting aspect of serving on the Assembly is how people communicate with me. When there is a city issue that strokes folks’ interest, a large snowman in Airport Heights, for example, they typically go to the Assembly home page and click on the link that allows them to e-mail all members. Because of this, those of us who monitor our e-mail have the opportunity to learn about issues throughout Anchorage, not just those in our respective districts. (We also hear about how to drive more traffic to our site, nifty music opportunities in Germany and other unrelated topics.)
As you may have read in this morning’s edition of the local paper my Assembly colleague, Bill Starr, plans to introduce a resolution at our October 28 meeting that calls for hiring a seasonal “Wildlife Safety Specialist…to manage nuisance and dangerous bears.”
In the 1980’s and early 1990’s Anchorage made a concerted effort to eradicate bars and liquor stores that catered to homeless alcoholics in and around the downtown area. One of the last to go was located at 14th Avenue and G Street and a high school friend of mine lived a couple blocks away. I remember his mom yelling at a group apparently headed for that store when they stopped in front of my friend’s house – for no good purpose, she was sure.
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