News from Assemblyman Patrick Flynn

Greetings,

I’ve had a few folks contact me about my comments at our Tuesday, March 26, Assembly meeting.  Some supportive, some not, and some whom I know well and am respectful of their intelligence & judgement (even when we disagree).  To help answer their questions I’ve posted my notes below.  They’re not verbatim (I’m not much for reading speeches), but they generally reflect my concerns regarding the process surrounding the labor ordinance.

Regards,

Patrick

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Thanks to everyone who participated in the fifth inning of Assembly insider baseball, though I was surprised at the weak performance of respondents.  I guess Assembly goings-on are sufficiently uninteresting that many of you have lost track!  But, without further ado, here’s the answers:

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It’s been a long time since our last edition of Assembly insider baseball, the quiz where random factoids test even the most ardent followers of matters municipal, but with spring training underway there’s no time like the present!

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In a pleasant surprise, I recently received the following e-mail:

At Stateside Associates we have been reviewing blogs that cover local politics for several months to find the very best the web has to offer. Your blog was selected for inclusion on the Best Local Politics Blogs list. The list is a comprehensive review of blogs that cover politics and policy issues in cities, towns, counties and regions across the country. Stateside Associates’ Best Local Politics Blogs list has been published alongside the Best State Politics Blogs (published in fall 2011) on our website. It has also arranged into a printable FactPad insert that slides easily into a FactPad mouse pad, distributed free of charge to clients and other friends of the firm. In addition, we’ve published a press release detailing the release of the list and your inclusion on it.

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Happy one week ‘til solstice, when winter begins (unless you live in Alaska and it started back in October).  Tuesday’s meeting, on December 13, was the last Assembly assembly until January 17 so those afflicted with excess interest in local politics have no choice but to relax and enjoy the holidays with family and friends.  In an effort to tide you over, here are a few tidbits from the front lines.

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By now many readers already know that Brendan Joel Kelley, erstwhile editor of the Anchorage Press, was fired this morning.  Change happens, and hopefully this will ultimately turn out well for Brendan, whom I consider a friend, but what I know about the situation is troubling to me.

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Despite the fact that I’m the only Anchorage municipal official to maintain a blog (as far as I know) I am not known for quick adaptations to new technology.  I once had a Blackberry but didn’t like it much, our family computer is laughably old and my wife maintains the mp3 player in our home.  Yes, my nieces and nephews tease me about this and, some day, my kids probably will too.

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An administration proposal to eliminate a few municipal boards and commissions and set “sunset dates” for most of those remaining raised some hackles this week.  And while I ultimately decided not to support the legislation, its passage isn’t as bad as some might think.

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If you haven’t done so already, or perhaps even if you have, please read through yesterday’s article about fire code restrictions leading to the cancellation of a concert at The Dome and contemplate whether anything about it strikes you as just a little bit odd.  After that, read on…

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Alright insiders, with the election over at long last I’m happy to present the results of our latest edition of Assembly insider baseball.  And kudos to the participant who correctly answered 10 of the 12 questions (11 of 13, if you include the two-parter)!  Here goes:

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