Incompetence has a price tag
The 907 Initiative has launched an accountability campaign in recent weeks to help Anchorage residents understand the cost of incompetence from Anchorage Mayor Dave Bronson. The 907 Initiative is an Anchorage-based government watchdog.
On Oct. 2, Bronson proposed his budget for Fiscal Year 2024, despite having failed to close the city’s financial books for FY-2022. This means that for nearly a year, the city has been operating without knowing how much revenue and expenses carried over into 2023. FY-2022 books must be closed before the reconciliation process can begin on FY-23, but the city’s budget director was recently moved to a different department.
Because Mayor Bronson has failed to balance the books, he and his administration are not able to determine how much money the city actually has. Fiscal responsibility is the most elemental component of running the city. This webpage will document the ongoing financial problems under the Bronson administration so Anchorage residents can understand what is really at stake during the upcoming public process around the city budget for FY-2024. This budget proposal builds on a pattern of incompetence that is costing Anchorage time and money. Anchorage residents need to demand that Mayor Bronson get control of the city’s finances and actually balance the books. Residents may contact Mayor Bronson's office at https://www.muni.org/Departments/Mayor/Pages/ContactTheMayor.aspx
Over the coming months, the 907 Initiative will continue to inform Anchorage residents about the costs associated with Mayor Bronson’s incompetent handling of the Municipal budget. The short-term goal of this campaign is to increase pressure on the Bronson administration to balance the books for the last two years. See the timeline below for examples of how the Mayor’s incompetence is costing Anchorage time and money. This incompetence has a price tag and Anchorage could be paying that price for years to come.
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Mismanagement Timeline
November 2023 —
Anchorage Daily News Opinion Editorial: Mayor Bronson's Consistent Incompetence
Anchorage Mayor Dave Bronson faces criticism for failures in snow removal, record homelessness deaths, and chronic understaffing in essential services. The police department is 77 positions short, causing slower response times, and various city departments have high vacancy rates, leading to increased reliance on costly consultants. Employee lawsuits against Bronson's administration have incurred significant costs. With an approval rating of only 29%, the 907 Initiative urges residents to demand transparency by signing a petition to close the city's financial books.
Anchorage mayor sent equipment to clear rutted state roads, leaving many neighborhoods unplowed
Anchorage faces snow removal challenges due to a labor shortage and weather conditions. The state, with a 14% vacancy rate for equipment operators, struggled with extensive snowfall. The city, designed for smaller snow totals, supplements road maintenance with private contracts and declared a snow emergency for quick private resource use. Critics express concern over the city assisting the state without a formal agreement in place.
Anchorage Mayor Dave Bronson declared a snow emergency, suspending procurement rules to bring in private companies for snow clearing amid heavy snowfall. This follows last year's criticism of the city's response to snowstorms.
A series of winter storms caused Anchorage school administrators to cancel in-person school Tuesday for the third time in less than a week, as teachers and students switch to virtual instruction. Some parents, including those who have had to stay home from work, have criticized the lack of plowing.
An ‘Unimaginable’ Death Toll Among Anchorage’s Homeless Residents
Frigid temperatures and heavy snow in Anchorage, Alaska, have led to a surge in deaths among the homeless, compounding existing challenges. Contributing factors include a housing crisis, fentanyl overdoses, and the closure of a large shelter six months ago. The death toll has reached 49, more than double last year's count.
Leaked Bronson Stump Speech Claims Mayor Solved Homelessness and Snow Plowing
A leaked stump speech for Anchorage Mayor Dave Bronson’s re-election campaign paints an optimistic picture of Bronson’s leadership, claiming successes in homelessness, public safety, and snow plowing. However, the leaked speech contrasts sharply with the reality of Bronson’s tenure, marked by challenges in addressing homelessness, a doubling of outdoor deaths, and difficulties in snow removal.
October 2023 —
The person who drafted the budget is leaving immediately after it will be enacted and the administration is getting rid of financial oversight capacity at the same time that the administration is dealing with multiple financial scandals.
An Anchorage city commissioner, appointed by Mayor Bronson in 2022, has been charged along with her husband with fraudulently obtaining $1.6 million in COVID-19 recovery money for their charity. Charges filed in federal court in Anchorage accuse the couple of buying cryptocurrency and making personal use of money intended to help people find homes and addiction treatment.
As efforts began this week to shelter Anchorage homeless residents for the winter, there are signs the city is severely short of beds, perhaps needing close to double the number of beds that the Bronson Administration planned for. The city is now paying for hotel rooms to cover the gap.
Record Number of Homeless People Have Died in Alaska's Largest City, Report Says
A record number of people believed to be homeless have died on the streets of Alaska’s largest city in the last seven months, and the count could increase before the year is out, according to police report data compiled by a newspaper. The death count stood at 29 on Friday, surpassing the previous record of 24 set for all of last year, the Anchorage Daily News reported. Of this year’s count, more than half of the people died after the city closed its mass shelter at the Sullivan Arena on May 1, according to police incident reports.
September 2023 —
Books not balanced Mayor to release FY-2024 budget without closing the books on the previous fiscal year.
The Assembly and city budget officers do not actually know how much money the city has on hand.
Mayor asks for IT Director Resignation
The Mayor has finally asked embattled IT Director Mark Dahl to resign after inquiry into allegations that the IT Director illegally tampered with the city elections system, potentially at the direction of the Mayor, in order to benefit candidates favored by Mayor Bronson.
Cost Overruns at Finance Department
The Bronson Administration is now paying a premium for consultants to backfill the work of unfilled positions, most recently asking the Assembly for up to $2M for three outside finance firms to cover the vacancies.
Mayor Sued by former City Manager
Former City Manager Amy Demboski has sued Mayor Bronson for wrongful termination, including gender discrimination, defamation and for firing her in retaliation when, she says, she raised concerns over his administration’s actions.
July 2023 —
Bronson rehires aide at the center of multiple scandals
Anchorage Mayor Dave Bronson’s office on Wednesday said the mayor has again hired local political veteran Larry Baker as a consultant on a contract that started July 1 and runs through Dec. 31. Baker’s influence as one of the mayor’s most trusted advisers came under scrutiny earlier this year as a series of controversies shook City Hall, in which numerous top officials were fired or resigned.
In interview, Anchorage Mayor Bronson acknowledges some missteps
The mayor’s office had previously turned down multiple interview requests from the Daily News on a variety of topics. But during the wide-ranging July 24 interview Bronson speaks about the city’s homelessness and housing challenges — including suggesting buying one-way plane tickets for unhoused people as a partial solution to the looming need for winter shelter.
He also discussed the results of the last two Assembly elections, his reelection campaign, Anchorage’s vote-by-mail election system and the city’s recent troubles with snow plowing.
Anchorage’s city manager said he contacted law enforcement after learning a former chief of staff to Mayor Dave Bronson challenged the city’s April 4 election quoting an improperly created internal policy, which had been quietly added by a top city director on the same day she filed the election appeal.
Two spokespeople for Mayor Bronson will leave the Mayor’s office
Two of the longest-serving members of Mayor Dave Bronson’s administration are leaving their roles at City Hall for positions at the Anchorage School District. Superintendent Jharrett Bryantt informed school board members that Corey Allen Young and Hans Rodvik will join the school district in different capacities.
May 2023 —
Another Anchorage muni executive entangled in lawsuit resigns
Saxton Shearer, head of Anchorage's Maintenance and Operations department in Mayor Dave Bronson's administration, is resigning due to his involvement in a lawsuit against the Municipality of Anchorage. The lawsuit alleges improper authorization of a homeless shelter construction.
Anchorage’s deputy library director resigns
Anchorage Deputy Library Director Judy Eledge resigned. Her departure comes ahead of an Anchorage Assembly resolution recommending her resignation, citing reasons including racist comments, workplace complaints, and controversy over her initial appointment as library director without the required degree in library science.
Anchorage Assembly discusses settlement for 2 fired Bronson employees
Anchorage Assembly plans a May 23 public hearing to decide on allocating up to $827,500 for potential settlements with two former city employees who allege wrongful termination by the mayor.
April 2023 —
Trombley out as Anchorage Mayor Bronson’s chief of staff
Anchorage Mayor Dave Bronson's chief of staff, Adam Trombley, has resigned, with his last day being Tuesday. Lawyer Mario Bird is now the acting chief of staff. Trombley's departure is the latest in a series of high-level executive departures during Bronson's tenure.
March 2023 —
Anchorage Assembly threatens legal action over Bronson admin’s illegal contract authorization
The Anchorage Assembly has authorized legal action against Mayor Dave Bronson's administration to prevent payment to a construction contractor, voting 9-2 in favor.
Anchorage Mayor Dave Bronson wants to settle with a contractor for around $2.5 million for work on a canceled homeless shelter and navigation center, but the Assembly insists on approving the settlement, deeming it illegal otherwise.
February 2023 —
Municipality of Anchorage to pay up to $2M to outsource finance work due to employee vacancies
Approximately half of the positions within Anchorage's Controller Division are vacant. Consequently, the city has entered into contracts with private firms, amounting to a total expenditure of up to $2 million over the next three years, to handle accounting tasks typically managed by the city's own workforce.
Anchorage HR director resigns, citing ‘toxic, hostile, and demoralizing work environment’
Anchorage's Chief Human Resources Officer, Niki Tshibaka, resigned abruptly, citing a toxic work environment.
Anchorage Assembly chair: ‘The mayor’s administration is on fire. It’s burning’
The Anchorage Assembly voted to sue Mayor Dave Bronson's administration to obtain documents related to former Health Director Joe Gerace, who resigned after falsifying parts of his resume.
August 2023 —
Mayor’s Homelessness Navigation Center Found Lacking
Alaska News Source published a deep dive report on Mayor Bronson’s failed mega shelter proposal, with multiple policy experts finding the proposal financially imprudent and that it would have failed to provide long-term housing solutions for Anchorage’s homeless population.
Bronson No-Shows at Critical Vote on Proposed Mega Shelter
Mayor Bronson skipped the vote and public debate on his mega-shelter proposal, despite framing the shelter as the centerpiece of his work on homelessness issues, and was nowhere to be seen.
The Anchorage ombudsman has referred to the state Office of Special Prosecutions the results of an investigation into a top city director’s involvement in a challenge to the April 4 city election. In the final investigation report, released Friday, ombudsman Darrel Hess said he “reasonably believes that there may have been a violation of state election statutes.” Hess also recommended that the administration of Mayor Dave Bronson fire its Office of Information Technology director, Marc Dahl.
Bronson Proposal to Buy Plane Tickets to Solve Homelessness Problem Backfires
National news media widely panned Mayor Bronson’s announced proposal to try to buy plane tickets to move people experiencing homelessness in Anchorage to other locations, with some pundits suggesting it would be more cost effective, and more effective in solving the problem, to buy a plane ticket to ship Mayor Bronson somewhere else…
Unprecedented Number of Outdoor Deaths in Anchorage
Anchorage Mayor Dave Bronson is reacting to the unprecedented number of outdoor deaths in the city. This year alone, Anchorage police report 29 people who have died outdoors — but other deaths might soon be added to that list.It’s another example of how the city’s homeless situation is reaching a critical status. Bronson admits the city is facing a crisis when it comes to homelessness. However, he doesn’t take all the blame for the problem — and says he did everything he could to address the situation.
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For more coverage of the Bronson administration dating before February 2023, please visit: https://907initiative.org/media-coverage