MAYORAL RACE: ANOTHER STEP-LADDER RUNG TO NATIONAL PROMINENCE OR LOCAL SMACK-DOWN? by William Topel
Today is election day in Alaska's largest city. Anchorage voters will vote on its Mayor, three school board candidates, and several bond propositions. The most heated of the races is the mayoral campaign between incumbent liberal Democrat Mark Begich and challenger conservative Republican Jack Frost. That race could have statewide and national implications should the incumbent win.
Radio and advertising personality Jack Frost has his main theme as the out of control spending by the current mayor. Per Frost's campaign mailer, from 2003-2005, the rezoning fee (less than 1.75 acres) is up 433%, underground utility variance application (temporary variance) fee is up 2,140%, site plan review fee is up 540%, platting fee (per lot) is up 2,258%, lost front license plate fee is up 350%, cremation interment fee (single niche) is up 57%, pet license fee is up 53%, improper tree planting fine is up 500%, expired parking meter fine is up 100%, and overall spending is up more than $75 million compared to three previous administrations combined for the city's population of about 260,000.
Mayor Begich counters that property taxes increased only 4.2 percent during his tenure in 2004 and 2005 while some campaign material reads 4.5%. Begich was first elected to the Anchorage Assembly in 1988 at age 26 and served three terms (1988-1991, 1991-1994, and 1994-1997). He had not won an area-wide race for Mayor until 2003. He lost in 1994 to Rick Mystrom and in 2000 to George Wuerch Begich was elected against incumbent mayor Wuerch in 2003 due to the Anchorage Assembly, then dominated by liberals, passing Proposition 2 to be placed on the ballot to change run-off election requirements from less than 50% to less than 45%. The voters passed the new ordinance with 54.99% which was written to be effective with that same current mayoral race, not an orthodox practice, as most new election changing ordinances or laws are set to become effective for the following future ection. Begich was elected mayor, receiving 45.03% of the vote. His closest competitor, George Wuerch, received 37.18% of the vote, because two conservatives had challenged Begich, Wuerch and former mayor Rick Mystrom. The election was later challenged in state courts but the Alaska State Supreme Court, under DeNardo v. Municipality of Anchorage (1/14/2005), finally refused to overturn the results of the April 1, 2003 election, citing no evidence of malconduct or violation of the Anchorage Charter as reasons to do so.
At a fundraiser for Jack Frost on April 1, 2006, Larry Baker, former Anchorage Assemblyman in 1983 who authored the city’s tax cap initiative, said that Begich has misused the tax cap as written and passed by the voters as Proposition 24 on Oct. 4, 1983. Frost reiterated that the city’s spending has increased more than the combined increases under former conservative mayor’s Tom Fink (1987-1994), Mystrom (1994-2000), and Wuerch (2000-2003) and he will restore the tax cap (Title 12.25) and lower property taxes if elected.
That same evening Frost’s campaign manager Steve Medina said one poll has Frost up 3% and another poll as Begich up 3% as of April 1. “Our campaign has gone from 40 points back when our campaign started to dead even and we are peaking at the right time”.
If Begich is re-elected and serves his full 3 year term until 2009, then the “new small star” of the Alaska Democratic Party could contend for the next U.S. House of Rep. election in 2010 for Don Young’s seat, or the next U.S. Senate election in 2010 for Lisa Murkowski’s seat, or the next Alaska Governor’s election in 2010. Begich would then be eligible for extra campaign funds from outside of Alaska from several liberal and national Democratic Party sources.
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(Disclosure: The writer supports Jack Frost because his own utility fees and property taxes have increased more than 4.5% in the last three years).
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Original Investigative Journalism from the
Columnist Guild News Bureau
Radio and advertising personality Jack Frost has his main theme as the out of control spending by the current mayor. Per Frost's campaign mailer, from 2003-2005, the rezoning fee (less than 1.75 acres) is up 433%, underground utility variance application (temporary variance) fee is up 2,140%, site plan review fee is up 540%, platting fee (per lot) is up 2,258%, lost front license plate fee is up 350%, cremation interment fee (single niche) is up 57%, pet license fee is up 53%, improper tree planting fine is up 500%, expired parking meter fine is up 100%, and overall spending is up more than $75 million compared to three previous administrations combined for the city's population of about 260,000.
Mayor Begich counters that property taxes increased only 4.2 percent during his tenure in 2004 and 2005 while some campaign material reads 4.5%. Begich was first elected to the Anchorage Assembly in 1988 at age 26 and served three terms (1988-1991, 1991-1994, and 1994-1997). He had not won an area-wide race for Mayor until 2003. He lost in 1994 to Rick Mystrom and in 2000 to George Wuerch Begich was elected against incumbent mayor Wuerch in 2003 due to the Anchorage Assembly, then dominated by liberals, passing Proposition 2 to be placed on the ballot to change run-off election requirements from less than 50% to less than 45%. The voters passed the new ordinance with 54.99% which was written to be effective with that same current mayoral race, not an orthodox practice, as most new election changing ordinances or laws are set to become effective for the following future ection. Begich was elected mayor, receiving 45.03% of the vote. His closest competitor, George Wuerch, received 37.18% of the vote, because two conservatives had challenged Begich, Wuerch and former mayor Rick Mystrom. The election was later challenged in state courts but the Alaska State Supreme Court, under DeNardo v. Municipality of Anchorage (1/14/2005), finally refused to overturn the results of the April 1, 2003 election, citing no evidence of malconduct or violation of the Anchorage Charter as reasons to do so.
At a fundraiser for Jack Frost on April 1, 2006, Larry Baker, former Anchorage Assemblyman in 1983 who authored the city’s tax cap initiative, said that Begich has misused the tax cap as written and passed by the voters as Proposition 24 on Oct. 4, 1983. Frost reiterated that the city’s spending has increased more than the combined increases under former conservative mayor’s Tom Fink (1987-1994), Mystrom (1994-2000), and Wuerch (2000-2003) and he will restore the tax cap (Title 12.25) and lower property taxes if elected.
That same evening Frost’s campaign manager Steve Medina said one poll has Frost up 3% and another poll as Begich up 3% as of April 1. “Our campaign has gone from 40 points back when our campaign started to dead even and we are peaking at the right time”. 
If Begich is re-elected and serves his full 3 year term until 2009, then the “new small star” of the Alaska Democratic Party could contend for the next U.S. House of Rep. election in 2010 for Don Young’s seat, or the next U.S. Senate election in 2010 for Lisa Murkowski’s seat, or the next Alaska Governor’s election in 2010. Begich would then be eligible for extra campaign funds from outside of Alaska from several liberal and national Democratic Party sources.-----
(Disclosure: The writer supports Jack Frost because his own utility fees and property taxes have increased more than 4.5% in the last three years).
-----
Original Investigative Journalism from the
Columnist Guild News Bureau
1 Comments:
“... and we are peaking at the right time."
That's rich.
By Ray B Schott, at 7:24 PM
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