I’d like to wish you a Merry Christmas, Happy Chanukah and a very happy holiday season! I’d also like to share an effective way to act locally to make a big difference in people’s lives.
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I’d love to join those using the easy sound bite. I do believe in finding waste, and cutting it. I’ve voted against wasteful spending on legislative office buildings, the Knik Arm Bridge, the Susitna Dam, and other unaffordable projects.
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You probably didn’t see a lot of me this summer. I wish I could say it was because I was out hiking and fishing. Sadly (for me) I wasn’t.
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Please join me for a Neighborhood Forum this Wednesday, September 28th from 7 to 9:00 p.m. at Central Middle School. Share your thoughts, and let’s talk about the issues that concern you most. I and Tax Division Director Ken Alper will present some information on our staggering deficit, as well as the options for action that must be taken to fix it. And let’s talk schools, public safety, and what you want to see for this state and the next generation.
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We have all been shaken by a crime spree that has made many people feel unsafe across Anchorage. The same holds true for many communities across Alaska. While police protection is largely a city issue, and I believe the Mayor wants to address the issue, there is a state role for state legislators too. I was not, and am not, happy with legislation passed last year by conservative leaders that massively cut the amount of help communities receive from the state for things like police and firefighters. Public safety isn’t free, and I voted against that legislation, which will cut the help Anchorage receives for these basic services by roughly 67%, or $9 million over two years.
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I consider it good news when there are ways to help people. Many years ago, when I started working to improve our foster care system, I listened to youth, and learned I had it all wrong. Or partially wrong. One thing they made clear was that foster care isn’t all about, well, just improving the foster care system. It’s about what happens when a youth leaves the system, has no reliable parent, and has no reliable adult to turn to for advice. In prior years statistics have shown high post-foster care homelessness (approx. 35%) and incarceration rates (approx. 20%) and we all want to do better.
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