Tonight’s Assembly meeting is moving along at a not-too-glacial pace, in part because we delayed consideration of a few items to future meetings, and there’s hope we’ll get quite a few items completed by night’s end. One aspect I’ve enjoyed is the reappearance of three people from my past. To wit:
Those of you who read the Anchorage Press are likely aware that the Alaska Press Club‘s 2009 “J-Week” is underway. The event, which brings together media folks from throughout Alaska to discuss the state of their industry and the trends affecting them, continues through Sunday. Among the events was a small Friday night party at the Press headquarters on Fifth Avenue to which I received an invitation (clearly a crossed wire on the electronic guest list).
I’m in Juneau today, having arrived yesterday, and leaving tonight. As a co-chair of the Assembly’s Legislative committee I’m spending my time touching base with many of the Anchorage-area legislators to get their perspective on how the session is progressing and discussing some of Anchorage’s priorities.
Snowzilla is terrorizing Airport Heights, Alaska travelers are stranded all along the western seaboard and the world economy is dropping faster than the mercury in Fairbanks. And yet, despite all that, the holidays are upon us and we can take some time to be thankful for the blessings of family & friends. I hope you and your loved ones enjoy a joyous holiday season and look forward to our new year together.
Having just completed my first run through the Anchorage budget as an Assembly member I found the process both fulfilling and wanting. On the former point, the Assembly worked closely with municipal staff in a deliberate and orderly manner that allowed each member visibility into the process, whether they served on the Budget & Finance committee or not. The result was an informed discussion and effective efforts to reduce spending in numerous areas. On the latter point, I was disappointed that several Assembly members waited until the final debate to suggest that the budget should undergo major structural changes in order to weather what they foresee as dark economic times.
The Assembly swung back into action this evening with quite a bit going on. I’ve seen more media representatives and lobbyists present than any time since my first Assembly meeting back in April. Regarding the former, they’re mostly here to interview Mark Begich, who was declared the victor in his Senate race earlier today. Regarding the latter, I suppose they’re here for the same reason we’re seeing a large – though not unprecedented – crowd, which is the third and final public hearing on the municipality’s 2009 budget.
My Eagle River colleague, Bill Starr, is rapidly becoming my favorite fellow member of the Anchorage Assembly. Not because we necessarily agree on things, or that we have started hanging out together, but because he has developed a penchant for advancing issues that draw lots of attention. My preceding post about his bear resolution, for example, has generated record traffic despite the fact that the Assembly has no jurisdiction over wildlife management!
If you read the paper, watch the television news, listen to the radio or check the internet you’ve inevitably read about plunging property values around the country. In the past couple weeks I’ve heard from some folks wondering whether their property taxes will go down. While I try to avoid equivocation the answer, in this case, is a definite “maybe.”
My decision to request a new evaluation of the proposed Knik Arm Crossing generated quite a bit of interest in the local paper, which published two different stories and an editorial. The local television station also covered the issue twice, and an AP writer did a piece from a broader perspective. But what does it all mean?
Greetings,
I’m Patrick Flynn, and I have the honor of serving on the Anchorage Assembly, representing the neighborhoods of Downtown, Fairview, Government Hill, Mountain View and South Addition. I was first elected and sworn in back in April and my predecessor, Allan Tesche, was well known for his blog. In fact, I was surprised to find that, during the course of my campaign, several people specifically mentioned the subject and asked if I would carry on the tradition. Because I consider providing information part of my job, I agreed that establishing my own blog was a good idea but noted I was unlikely to be as entertaining as Allan. (more…)
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