April is a key month for the future of Anchorage. Citizens will elect a portion of their representatives to the Anchorage Assembly and the School Board. Sol de Medianoche has sent out a questionnaire to all candidates, asking to weigh in on important issues for our city on homelessness, labor shortages, Covid vaccines, minorities in public office, ranked choice voting, hate crimes, and immigrant integration in the city.
Municipal elections are Tuesday, April 5. People should vote from home. Traditional polling places will not be open even on voting day.
You will receive your ballot in the mail. Be sure to follow the instructions.
These are the opinions of the candidates that answered our questionnaire.
Municipal elections are Tuesday, April 5. People should vote from home. Traditional polling places will not be open even on voting day.
You will receive your ballot in the mail. Be sure to follow the instructions.
These are the opinions of the candidates that answered our questionnaire.
ANCHORAGE assembly - District 2 - Seat A - Eagle River / Chugiak
Gretchen Wehmhoff
“I am driven by service, not anger.”
Gretchen Wehmhoff has “experience to serve in the Assembly. I am driven by service, not anger.” She has not been involved in immigrant integration initiatives in Anchorage, but “I would like to make sure we are as welcoming and helpful as we can be.” She believes that “we’ve made progress on homeless issues,” but “we’re still behind.” The labor shortage is due, she says, to workers demanding “living wages” and companies are “obligated to meet this need.”
Regarding vaccines, she says that if all those who are able to do so had been vaccinated, “we would have overcome this pandemic.”
On diversity, “we haven’t gotten our leaders” to reflect it. “We need more minority candidates for community council and even for governor (...) There are groups training women to participate.” Of ranked-choice voting, she believes it “opens up elections to all citizens.” She does not understand hate crimes. “There is no place for hate in our community.” She advocates educating children to live together.
Kevin Cross
“I have worked to help many immigrants start businesses.”
“Anchorage has serious budget problems. We need business-minded people,” says Kevin Cross. As a realtor, he says of the homeless problem, “We can’t continue to provide housing without treatment. The current affordable housing/homelessness task force is not directing funds to where they are needed most. That is treatment.”
Cross would like to see “public education focused on training workers in the trades, which provide income opportunities.” He is “not convinced that ranked choice voting is right.” On Covid vaccines, he says “it’s the individual’s choice. Their body, their choice.” And on hate crimes, that “when we separate society by race, we create animosity.” He does not let “race or color” “distract” him from the qualities of people. “God’s light has no color; it is of all colors.”
Kevin Cross has “helped many immigrants start businesses and own homes. I am in awe of the work ethic and family values of immigrants. They are a blessing to our community. Together we are better.”
“I am driven by service, not anger.”
Gretchen Wehmhoff has “experience to serve in the Assembly. I am driven by service, not anger.” She has not been involved in immigrant integration initiatives in Anchorage, but “I would like to make sure we are as welcoming and helpful as we can be.” She believes that “we’ve made progress on homeless issues,” but “we’re still behind.” The labor shortage is due, she says, to workers demanding “living wages” and companies are “obligated to meet this need.”
Regarding vaccines, she says that if all those who are able to do so had been vaccinated, “we would have overcome this pandemic.”
On diversity, “we haven’t gotten our leaders” to reflect it. “We need more minority candidates for community council and even for governor (...) There are groups training women to participate.” Of ranked-choice voting, she believes it “opens up elections to all citizens.” She does not understand hate crimes. “There is no place for hate in our community.” She advocates educating children to live together.
Kevin Cross
“I have worked to help many immigrants start businesses.”
“Anchorage has serious budget problems. We need business-minded people,” says Kevin Cross. As a realtor, he says of the homeless problem, “We can’t continue to provide housing without treatment. The current affordable housing/homelessness task force is not directing funds to where they are needed most. That is treatment.”
Cross would like to see “public education focused on training workers in the trades, which provide income opportunities.” He is “not convinced that ranked choice voting is right.” On Covid vaccines, he says “it’s the individual’s choice. Their body, their choice.” And on hate crimes, that “when we separate society by race, we create animosity.” He does not let “race or color” “distract” him from the qualities of people. “God’s light has no color; it is of all colors.”
Kevin Cross has “helped many immigrants start businesses and own homes. I am in awe of the work ethic and family values of immigrants. They are a blessing to our community. Together we are better.”
ANCHORAGE ASSEMBLY - Seat D - west anchorage
Liz Vazquez
“There are not enough Hispanics in public office”
“I grew up in Puerto Rico and New York and learned English as a second language. I am the only Hispanic candidate and there are not enough Hispanics in public office and leadership positions. If elected, I will encourage opportunities for them,” says Elisabeth Vazquez, who believes it is unfair “that Anchorage residents bear the costs of homelessness because they come from all over Alaska,” and there is a need for “safe housing” and “mental health treatment.”
For Liz Vazquez, the labor shortage is due to “federal COVID funding, which has paid rent and utilities for many residents and this has discouraged them from working. There is a lack of affordable childcare for working parents and employers are having difficulty hiring employees with basic skills.”
Covid vaccinations “should be optional” and hate crimes against Hispanics “are underreported as much as those committed against other minorities.”
Kameron Pérez-Verdia
“We need experienced leadership”
“Homelessness is one of my priorities,” says Kameron Perez-Verdia. “The labor shortage impacts the economy (...) Attracting and retaining workers is going to be one of our challenges. The Assembly must provide incentives.”
“Vaccines are safe and effective.” Likewise, “it is very important that we work to increase the number of racial and ethnic minorities in public office.”
Perez-Verdia supports ranked-choice voting and has organized debates on hate crimes. “I have seen the pain suffered by the families of murdered and missing indigenous women and girls.”
“Anchorage residents should vote for me because now, more than ever, we need experienced leadership. My personal background, professional experience and commitment to public service make me that experienced leader.”
Nial Sherwood Williams
“The best should win office”
“The homeless industrial complex is ruining our city (...) The policies of Anchorage’s leaders have caused the labor shortage. Government corruption has driven the market to become perverted,” says Nial Sherwood Williams.
On Covid vaccines, he says that “Alaskans have the right to choose their own health care.” Nial Sherwood Williams believes that “the best candidate should win office. This should be decided by a free vote of the people. One person, one vote (...) The rights and blessings secured by our constitution allow for the social integration of any immigrant.” The ranked-choice voting “violates the Constitution and was passed illegally.”
He also believes that “hate crimes have been used to create a media frenzy around certain situations more than others. All lives are created equal, and we are all endowed by our Creator with certain unalienable rights.”
“There are not enough Hispanics in public office”
“I grew up in Puerto Rico and New York and learned English as a second language. I am the only Hispanic candidate and there are not enough Hispanics in public office and leadership positions. If elected, I will encourage opportunities for them,” says Elisabeth Vazquez, who believes it is unfair “that Anchorage residents bear the costs of homelessness because they come from all over Alaska,” and there is a need for “safe housing” and “mental health treatment.”
For Liz Vazquez, the labor shortage is due to “federal COVID funding, which has paid rent and utilities for many residents and this has discouraged them from working. There is a lack of affordable childcare for working parents and employers are having difficulty hiring employees with basic skills.”
Covid vaccinations “should be optional” and hate crimes against Hispanics “are underreported as much as those committed against other minorities.”
Kameron Pérez-Verdia
“We need experienced leadership”
“Homelessness is one of my priorities,” says Kameron Perez-Verdia. “The labor shortage impacts the economy (...) Attracting and retaining workers is going to be one of our challenges. The Assembly must provide incentives.”
“Vaccines are safe and effective.” Likewise, “it is very important that we work to increase the number of racial and ethnic minorities in public office.”
Perez-Verdia supports ranked-choice voting and has organized debates on hate crimes. “I have seen the pain suffered by the families of murdered and missing indigenous women and girls.”
“Anchorage residents should vote for me because now, more than ever, we need experienced leadership. My personal background, professional experience and commitment to public service make me that experienced leader.”
Nial Sherwood Williams
“The best should win office”
“The homeless industrial complex is ruining our city (...) The policies of Anchorage’s leaders have caused the labor shortage. Government corruption has driven the market to become perverted,” says Nial Sherwood Williams.
On Covid vaccines, he says that “Alaskans have the right to choose their own health care.” Nial Sherwood Williams believes that “the best candidate should win office. This should be decided by a free vote of the people. One person, one vote (...) The rights and blessings secured by our constitution allow for the social integration of any immigrant.” The ranked-choice voting “violates the Constitution and was passed illegally.”
He also believes that “hate crimes have been used to create a media frenzy around certain situations more than others. All lives are created equal, and we are all endowed by our Creator with certain unalienable rights.”
ANCHORAGE ASSEMBLY - District 4 - Seat f - midtown anchorage
Meg Zaletel
“I will put people before politics”
“Homelessness is traumatic, asking individuals what they want, and need is essential to getting buy-in to any services offered.” says Meg Zaletel. “The labor shortage is a complex problem that reveals many very real and immediate needs. We all need to work together to make Anchorage a place workers can call home.”
Meg Zaletel says, “I will put people before politics. During my tenure that is what I have done. I have consistently put forward policies that benefit Anchorage residents.”
On Covid vaccinations, Zaletel believes “it’s a personal choice.” She and her family are vaccinated. “For decades, vaccination against disease has not been controversial.”
“There is no room for tolerance when it comes to hate crimes.”
“I will put people before politics”
“Homelessness is traumatic, asking individuals what they want, and need is essential to getting buy-in to any services offered.” says Meg Zaletel. “The labor shortage is a complex problem that reveals many very real and immediate needs. We all need to work together to make Anchorage a place workers can call home.”
Meg Zaletel says, “I will put people before politics. During my tenure that is what I have done. I have consistently put forward policies that benefit Anchorage residents.”
On Covid vaccinations, Zaletel believes “it’s a personal choice.” She and her family are vaccinated. “For decades, vaccination against disease has not been controversial.”
“There is no room for tolerance when it comes to hate crimes.”
ANCHORAGE ASSEMBLY - District 5 - Seat h - east anchorage
Stephanie Taylor
“Allowing the homeless crisis is irresponsible”
“I am concerned about homelessness. Allowing people to suffer on our streets is irresponsible,” says Stephanie Taylor, who has not been involved in social integration initiatives for immigrants but has helped them “integrate into society while maintaining their cultural traditions.”
“It’s good that public offices reflect the ethnic composition of the population. But too much importance is given to skin color,” she says. The term “hate crimes” is “confusing,” according to her. “A crime is a crime, regardless of the identity of the victim.”
Labor shortage: “businesses closed” because of Covid; workers on unemployment pay are not motivated to return to work. Stephanie Taylor believes that “vaccination mandates violate the right to privacy.”
Taylor has been in Anchorage for 51 years. She is not a politician but wants to “move Anchorage in a different direction. (...) The Assembly needs new ideas and representatives who listen to the people.”
Forrest Dunbar
“Anchorage is a diverse city”
Forrest Dunbar believes it is necessary “for the entire community to come together” on the issue of homelessness. On the labor shortage, “we need to continue to make the investments that make Anchorage an attractive place to live: good schools, affordable housing, safe streets, parks, trails...”
He is a supporter of Covid vaccines, “the best way to protect our seniors and vulnerable people (...) We must continue to share information about vaccines, to counter widespread misinformation.”
“Anchorage is a diverse city and our decision-making bodies need to reflect that.” He is interested in seeing how ranked-choice voting works, even if it does not apply to municipal elections. Hate crimes “should have no place in our community” and “as the grandson of a refugee, I believe in the power of immigrant communities to enrich and strengthen our community.”
“Allowing the homeless crisis is irresponsible”
“I am concerned about homelessness. Allowing people to suffer on our streets is irresponsible,” says Stephanie Taylor, who has not been involved in social integration initiatives for immigrants but has helped them “integrate into society while maintaining their cultural traditions.”
“It’s good that public offices reflect the ethnic composition of the population. But too much importance is given to skin color,” she says. The term “hate crimes” is “confusing,” according to her. “A crime is a crime, regardless of the identity of the victim.”
Labor shortage: “businesses closed” because of Covid; workers on unemployment pay are not motivated to return to work. Stephanie Taylor believes that “vaccination mandates violate the right to privacy.”
Taylor has been in Anchorage for 51 years. She is not a politician but wants to “move Anchorage in a different direction. (...) The Assembly needs new ideas and representatives who listen to the people.”
Forrest Dunbar
“Anchorage is a diverse city”
Forrest Dunbar believes it is necessary “for the entire community to come together” on the issue of homelessness. On the labor shortage, “we need to continue to make the investments that make Anchorage an attractive place to live: good schools, affordable housing, safe streets, parks, trails...”
He is a supporter of Covid vaccines, “the best way to protect our seniors and vulnerable people (...) We must continue to share information about vaccines, to counter widespread misinformation.”
“Anchorage is a diverse city and our decision-making bodies need to reflect that.” He is interested in seeing how ranked-choice voting works, even if it does not apply to municipal elections. Hate crimes “should have no place in our community” and “as the grandson of a refugee, I believe in the power of immigrant communities to enrich and strengthen our community.”
ANCHORAGE ASSEMBLY - District 6 - seat j - south anchorage
Randall Sulte
“We must have diverse and inclusive representation”
Randall Sulte wants to celebrate diversity. “It makes each of us unique.” Homelessness “is a complex problem” with no magic solutions. “I’m pleased with the mayor’s direction.” Sulte believes the labor shortage is due, in part, “to subsidies (...), so close to wages that some families with children and childcare expenses have decided to stay home.”
Sulte is vaccinated. But “it should not be compulsory”. He is of the opinion that everyone should have an equal opportunity to hold public office. “We should have diverse and inclusive representation.” On ranked choice voting he has no opinion. He is “against all hate crimes and I want strict penalties for those who commit them.”
“My wife and I have raised our children in Anchorage, my wife has started a business. This is our home. I don’t like the direction it has taken and I am willing to do everything I can to restore our city.”
John Weddleton
“We can work together”
“We shouldn’t have homelessness. We can do better,” says John Weddleton. On the labor shortage, people need to be “encouraged to look at the trades as a career.” He brings “more than 30 years as an entrepreneur and 20 years of experience in local government. I vowed to focus on work and not politics.”
Weddleton is a supporter of Covid vaccines: “decreasing the severity of the disease is helpful and helps take pressure off our medical system.” He is also in favor of citizen participation regardless of ethnicity: no one “should have any qualms about running for office (...) We can work together.”
“With our population in decline, a labor shortage and a lot of work to do, we will depend on immigrants to build and grow our state and country as we have throughout our history.”
“We must have diverse and inclusive representation”
Randall Sulte wants to celebrate diversity. “It makes each of us unique.” Homelessness “is a complex problem” with no magic solutions. “I’m pleased with the mayor’s direction.” Sulte believes the labor shortage is due, in part, “to subsidies (...), so close to wages that some families with children and childcare expenses have decided to stay home.”
Sulte is vaccinated. But “it should not be compulsory”. He is of the opinion that everyone should have an equal opportunity to hold public office. “We should have diverse and inclusive representation.” On ranked choice voting he has no opinion. He is “against all hate crimes and I want strict penalties for those who commit them.”
“My wife and I have raised our children in Anchorage, my wife has started a business. This is our home. I don’t like the direction it has taken and I am willing to do everything I can to restore our city.”
John Weddleton
“We can work together”
“We shouldn’t have homelessness. We can do better,” says John Weddleton. On the labor shortage, people need to be “encouraged to look at the trades as a career.” He brings “more than 30 years as an entrepreneur and 20 years of experience in local government. I vowed to focus on work and not politics.”
Weddleton is a supporter of Covid vaccines: “decreasing the severity of the disease is helpful and helps take pressure off our medical system.” He is also in favor of citizen participation regardless of ethnicity: no one “should have any qualms about running for office (...) We can work together.”
“With our population in decline, a labor shortage and a lot of work to do, we will depend on immigrants to build and grow our state and country as we have throughout our history.”
school board - seat a
Mark Anthony Cox
“Parents are disappointed”
“Parents are disappointed with our schools teaching capacity, one of the lowest in the country. We are in the top 5 states in the nation in spending per student, but where are the results?” asks Mark Anthony Cox. “We need to create an environment of achievement and success by letting teachers do their jobs and not giving them a curriculum that doesn’t work.”
Cox wants to “protect parental rights; empower and educate parents; and enrich the classroom environment.” For him, “the main issues affecting our students are lack of proficiency in reading, writing and math; a curriculum that does not teach them personal financial management, basic life skills, or how to succeed as young adults; and an environment of low expectations.”
“The only difference between one person and another is what they know, so I would propose to all ethnic groups to increase knowledge and then apply it. When knowledge is applied it is called wisdom and the wise thrive regardless of their racial background.”
Cliff Murray
“Our board and our superintendent are failing”
Cliff Murray would change the leadership of the school community, which “is languishing,” and “is reflected in the test scores of our students and the morale of our teachers and principals (...) Our Board and our superintendent are failing, and I believe I can help.”
In his opinion, “we have become engrossed in Critical Race Theory, Social/Restorative Justice, and sexual/gender identity. Let’s get back to math, science, reading, writing and geography. Let’s teach the core subjects and let parents take care of the rest (...) Let’s make sure our graduates are job ready.”
“We need to set high academic expectations and hold our students accountable to those expectations.”
“We have to make sure that all of our students have an equal opportunity to succeed,” because “then they will have the opportunity to make the most of their education.”
Margo Bellamy
“The decline in educator recruiting has reached a critical point”
Poverty, homelessness, abuse and neglect, bullying/harassment (including cyberbullying), mental health, drugs and dropping out are concerns for students, according to Margo Bellamy. “We will not achieve successful outcomes without prioritizing resources in social, emotional, mental and physical health of students. I am committed to implementing the safety lines that represent the vision and values of the community (...) To monitoring student outcomes; prioritizing programs that support the needs of every student; bringing in a new superintendent; and recruiting and retaining a diverse and qualified workforce.”
Margo Bellamy asserts that she has “championed policies of equity, diversity, and inclusion,” but “much work remains to be done (...) In addition, the decline in educator recruitment, locally and nationally, has reached a critical point in the last decade. Our district must find innovative ways to retain and recruit a qualified and diverse workforce” and ensure “fair and adequate retirement benefits for educators, who are unwilling to stay in or move to Alaska without a good retirement plan.”
“Parents are disappointed”
“Parents are disappointed with our schools teaching capacity, one of the lowest in the country. We are in the top 5 states in the nation in spending per student, but where are the results?” asks Mark Anthony Cox. “We need to create an environment of achievement and success by letting teachers do their jobs and not giving them a curriculum that doesn’t work.”
Cox wants to “protect parental rights; empower and educate parents; and enrich the classroom environment.” For him, “the main issues affecting our students are lack of proficiency in reading, writing and math; a curriculum that does not teach them personal financial management, basic life skills, or how to succeed as young adults; and an environment of low expectations.”
“The only difference between one person and another is what they know, so I would propose to all ethnic groups to increase knowledge and then apply it. When knowledge is applied it is called wisdom and the wise thrive regardless of their racial background.”
Cliff Murray
“Our board and our superintendent are failing”
Cliff Murray would change the leadership of the school community, which “is languishing,” and “is reflected in the test scores of our students and the morale of our teachers and principals (...) Our Board and our superintendent are failing, and I believe I can help.”
In his opinion, “we have become engrossed in Critical Race Theory, Social/Restorative Justice, and sexual/gender identity. Let’s get back to math, science, reading, writing and geography. Let’s teach the core subjects and let parents take care of the rest (...) Let’s make sure our graduates are job ready.”
“We need to set high academic expectations and hold our students accountable to those expectations.”
“We have to make sure that all of our students have an equal opportunity to succeed,” because “then they will have the opportunity to make the most of their education.”
Margo Bellamy
“The decline in educator recruiting has reached a critical point”
Poverty, homelessness, abuse and neglect, bullying/harassment (including cyberbullying), mental health, drugs and dropping out are concerns for students, according to Margo Bellamy. “We will not achieve successful outcomes without prioritizing resources in social, emotional, mental and physical health of students. I am committed to implementing the safety lines that represent the vision and values of the community (...) To monitoring student outcomes; prioritizing programs that support the needs of every student; bringing in a new superintendent; and recruiting and retaining a diverse and qualified workforce.”
Margo Bellamy asserts that she has “championed policies of equity, diversity, and inclusion,” but “much work remains to be done (...) In addition, the decline in educator recruitment, locally and nationally, has reached a critical point in the last decade. Our district must find innovative ways to retain and recruit a qualified and diverse workforce” and ensure “fair and adequate retirement benefits for educators, who are unwilling to stay in or move to Alaska without a good retirement plan.”
SCHOOL BOARD - SEAT B
Kelly Lessens
“I support smaller class sizes”
“I would like to improve the way the community thinks about the School District. This takes leadership,” says Kelly Lessens. “Every child deserves to graduate with the skills that will enable them to function in life. We can achieve this by retaining and hiring effective teachers.”
Lessens supports “reducing class sizes” and “ASD committing to hiring and retaining the most effective teachers, especially teachers of color (...) Students who are English language learners, economically disadvantaged and/or qualify for Special Education have lower rates of reading and math proficiency and lower graduation rates, but are no less able to learn.”
“Integrated schools improve outcomes for all students, and especially for students of color (...) We need to make sure that our curricular materials are of high quality and that all materials are available in different languages; create support groups or family counseling. There are many things we can do to promote equity.”
Rachel Ries
“Let’s celebrate diversity”
Putting money back into classrooms and making school choice easier, with viable transportation, are Rachel Ries’ proposals for the School Board. “I will try to decentralize the school community and treat teachers as professionals. I will ask schools for transparency with parents about curriculum; that parents are welcome in the schools. Parents and teachers must work together so that every child can have the best education.”
Rachel Ries believes that every school has different needs. “When you decentralize, you allow each one to have an individualized plan. You have to identify what plan is best for each campus, involving students, parents, teachers and administrators.”
On equity, Ries says that above skin color or creed, “We are all neighbors, parents, children, family... Let’s celebrate diversity. I will seek to ensure that every child, regardless of race, color or creed, receives the best education and that ASD attracts excellence in teachers and staff, fostering the rights of every parent over their children.”
“I support smaller class sizes”
“I would like to improve the way the community thinks about the School District. This takes leadership,” says Kelly Lessens. “Every child deserves to graduate with the skills that will enable them to function in life. We can achieve this by retaining and hiring effective teachers.”
Lessens supports “reducing class sizes” and “ASD committing to hiring and retaining the most effective teachers, especially teachers of color (...) Students who are English language learners, economically disadvantaged and/or qualify for Special Education have lower rates of reading and math proficiency and lower graduation rates, but are no less able to learn.”
“Integrated schools improve outcomes for all students, and especially for students of color (...) We need to make sure that our curricular materials are of high quality and that all materials are available in different languages; create support groups or family counseling. There are many things we can do to promote equity.”
Rachel Ries
“Let’s celebrate diversity”
Putting money back into classrooms and making school choice easier, with viable transportation, are Rachel Ries’ proposals for the School Board. “I will try to decentralize the school community and treat teachers as professionals. I will ask schools for transparency with parents about curriculum; that parents are welcome in the schools. Parents and teachers must work together so that every child can have the best education.”
Rachel Ries believes that every school has different needs. “When you decentralize, you allow each one to have an individualized plan. You have to identify what plan is best for each campus, involving students, parents, teachers and administrators.”
On equity, Ries says that above skin color or creed, “We are all neighbors, parents, children, family... Let’s celebrate diversity. I will seek to ensure that every child, regardless of race, color or creed, receives the best education and that ASD attracts excellence in teachers and staff, fostering the rights of every parent over their children.”