Muni Fees May Force School District Cuts *UPDATE*
My now-13-year-old daughter expressed a great deal of angst this past summer over attending middle school in a different school zone. She can be somewhat shy so my husband and I were a little concerned. As it turns out, my daughter is excelling in seventh grade! She has been on the honor roll both quarters, she’s in several accelerated classes, she’s doing really well as a clarinet player in the band (she has a solo in an upcoming performance) and she’s made some friends in the new school while still keeping up with her old friends. My husband and I…
Dan Sullivan, Go to the Back of the Class.
It’s been a little while since we’ve heard from America’s least favorite Mayor. If you’d been speculating, perhaps, that the Mayor was visited over the holidays by the Ghost of the Municipality Yet to Come, and had had a transformational experience which left him filled with human compassion and a love of mankind that would guide the rest of his political career, I’m going to have to disappoint you. He’s taken a little break this week from targeting firefighters, and police officers, and the homeless and he has now turned his malevolent gaze upon… your children. If ever anyone needed…
The 2010 Muddies – Vote Now!
It’s that time of the year again – the beginning of it. And it wouldn’t feel right, hanging up that new calendar without our yearly round up of the ne’er-do-wells, miscreants, and rogues of Alaska politics. Yes boys and girls, it’s time for the Muddy Awards. Now that our heads are clear after the holidays, it’s time to reflect. In past years, the first place award winner frankly hasn’t been much of a shock. I’m sure you won’t be surprised in the least when I tell you that the First Place Muddy for 2008, and 2009 went to Sarah Palin….
Anchorage's City Budget – Where's the Outrage?
By Elstun Lauesen The Assembly Voted last night for the $435 M budget that cuts services and raises property taxes by half a mill. Basically, this budget was predicated on a set of assumptions that misrepresented facts of a greater magnitude than those alleged by Assemblymen Chris Birch, Dan Coffey and Bill Starr against then Mayor Mark Begich. We all remember the hand-wringing over the ‘overly optimistic’ assumption that set Starr into meltdown mode in early 2009. Alleging ‘criminal’ activities by the Begich administration, Starr made unauthorized visits to the FBI and Bond Council, in essence, trying to undermine the…
Open Thread – Boys & Girls Club
Assembly members Elvi Gray-Jackson (center back row) and Paul Honeman (second from right) greet volunteers and attendees of the Anchorage Boys & Girls Club. Many of those in attendance at last Tuesday’s Assembly meeting gave passionate, convincing and sincere testimony in support of keeping the 7% of their budget that Mayor Dan Sullivan has cut in his 2011 municipal budget. If you know the importance of the Boys & Girls Club in helping single parents, and giving kids some place safe and productive to go after school, tell your Assembly members to keep the money. An email sent to wwmas@muni.org…
Anchorage Assembly Meeting 2011 Budget – What are People Saying? (Live blogging)
I’m here at the Assembly Chambers as public testimony is being taken on the Anchorage municipal budget. (See previous post) I’ll try to hit the highlights for those of you who couldn’t make it. There is a long line of people waiting to testify and the room is packed to standing room only. Guy in weird hat and American flag scarf thinks the mayor is doing a great job. Thinks the Assembly should buy their own lunch. Quoting from a book “citizens are a milk cow ready to give buckets of money… absurd taxes, bla bla bla.” 18th Century, Declaration…
Time to Storm the Castle! Sullivan's Budget
OK, boys and girls. The election is (almost) over and now it’s time to redirect our focus just a tad. It’s kind of like when the dishwasher overflows, and the dog is barking to get in, and someone drops a glass… Then when you finally get it all sorted out, you look over in the pantry and you see the five year old elbow deep in a bag of chocolate chips, with scared eyes and melted goo all over his face. He thinks because you haven’t had time to pay attention during all the chaos, that he could just keep…
A Love Letter to Mayor Dan Sullivan
…and by “love letter” I mean deliciously awesome laser-focused hard-core smack down. The Anchorage Municipal Employees Association has had just about enough of the Mayor. We’ve ALL had just about enough of the mayor, but the AMEA has brilliantly summarized one aspect of the administration of the worst mayor ever. I’ll let the letter speak for itself, but hopefully it is but one chapter in the doomed administration of the “one term worm” Dan Sullivan. (Emphasis is mine and .pdf file of the original letter is attached) And thank you to all hard-working municipal employees who do their best to…
Speed Hump Consultant? The jokes write themselves…
There is a rumor out there…that in neighborhoods across Anchorage, some who have problems with speeding traffic and have been unable to get “speed humps” (a “traffic calming” solution) have started to…errrr…improvise with things like traffic cones (see the picture above). The sad irony is that any unauthorized attempt to try and avoid a tragic accident will be removed by the Municipality. Thanks, Mayor Sullivan. Mudflats fans are aware of the excellent job Jeanne and Shannyn have been doing covering the Municipality of Anchorage “Speed Hump” debacle. A short wrap-up may help those of you not as familiar with the issue: –A little girl was hit by a car in…
Happy Speed Hump Day! Hump of the Week!
I know what you’re thinking. Shannyn and Jeanne are in Las Vegas. They’re probably off somewhere being overwhelmed by all the Vegas-ness, and gearing up for Netroots Nation which officially starts soon. Maybe they’re at the M&M factory, or watching the fountains at the Bellagio, or having a chocolate martini by the pool. Surely they have other things on their mind and won’t bother with the Hump of the Week. Well, guess what? You’d be wrong. We’re sitting here talking about how last night Mayor Dan Sullivan vetoed a resolution which would have allowed Anchorage firefighters to continue their “Fill…