Dave Bronson’s ultra-conservative administration
Dave Bronson has begun his mayoral term as expected of him: appointing a team with a markedly ultra-conservative character, in which two names stand out: former lieutenant governor, Craig Campbell, as chief of staff, and former Assemblywoman Amy Demboski, as city administrator.
Campbell and Demboski are two ultra-conservatives, old acquaintances of Alaskans for many years, especially in Anchorage. Campbell has a military and business background. He was a candidate for mayor in 1984, elected to the Assembly in 1986, and re-elected in 1989 and 1992 serving as Chairman of the Assembly. In 1994 he ran again unsuccessfully for mayor and also served briefly as lieutenant governor under Sean Parnell in 2009. Perhaps the fact that Campbell and Bronson’s Democratic opponent, Forrest Dunbar, have in common their membership in the National Guard has encouraged Bronson to highlight the military side of both to note that “General Campbell can work with Mr. Dunbar and I hope Mr. Dunbar can work with this team as a whole.” Amy Demboski has served as Eagle River’s representative to the Anchorage Assembly. In 2015, she ran unsuccessfully for Anchorage mayor against Ethan Berkowitz. She has served as deputy commissioner for the Alaska Department of Commerce under the current Republican governor, Mike Dunleavy. Demboski is criticized by a section of Anchorage’s citizenry for her strong political bias against Muslims. Bronson has vacated several City Administration positions “to reduce the city’s payroll budget.” Economic Revival In his inauguration as mayor, Dave Bronson has stated that his first steps in office will be aimed at solving problems such as homelessness, food insecurity, and economic revitalization in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. “We want to attract new investment into our community, new residents and industry” to bring “a vibrant local economy” to Anchorage. |