Eco-Left Mayor Leaves “Presents” for Her Successor in Anchorage

July 13, 2021

As new Anchorage Mayor Dave Bronson assumed his role and responsibilities on July 1^st, little did he know the numerous “presents” his predecessor was leaving for him.

Anchorage’s former interim Mayor, Austin Quinn-Davidson, sits very far left on environmental issues.  In fact, her wife, Stephanie, helped author a ballot initiative in 2018 that would have gutted resource development opportunities throughout Alaska.  Thankfully, the measure was soundly defeated by voters.  Quinn-Davidson has now retreated from City Hall’s top office to her spot on the Anchorage Assembly, where she and her liberal colleagues enjoy a 9-2 advantage over right-of-center Assembly members.

But, before she left, she covertly took two actions that make Anchorage look like a more progressive city than it is when it comes to the environment and the alarmist philosophies on climate and ‘green’ energy the eco-left loves to trumpet.

First, she and her team began a post-July 1^st advertising campaign, imploring Anchorage residents to consider climate change in everything they do.  The campaign, featuring cartoons of Alaska-centric wildlife, has been inundating social media, an almost constant part of mainstream news and print distributions, and even been voiced-over on the radio. 

Then, to top it off, she signed onto a letter from the “Climate Mayors” coalition, even though the letter wasn’t scheduled to go out until today.  “Climate Mayors” is a group of liberal city leaders from well-known bastions of uber-progressivism; New York, Los Angeles, Washington, DC and others, hoping to entice Congressional leaders into growing their cities’ coffers with funds from the federal infrastructure plan currently working its way through Congress.

By signing onto that letter, Quinn-Davidson asks that monies be sent to Anchorage, under the guise that “Cities face specific challenges unique to their socio-geographical areas, and therefore require flexible funding – direct grants, block grants, etc. – that allow cities to address their distinct challenges efficiently and innovatively, while remaining accountable to grant requirements. We urge investments in the programs listed in the appendix. These programs are critical, smart investments to create good jobs and build thriving, equitable, sustainable communities.”

The appendix focuses on social justice, environmental justice and ‘green’ energy projects; hardly what Anchorage should be focusing on as it looks to recover from the Assembly-led, economically-devastating restrictions during COVID-19.  Instead, Anchorage should be focusing on what Bronson has identified as crucial; putting people back to work, along with alleviating a crush of new homelessness (and the associated crime that goes along with peoples’ desperation).

It is too bad the former Mayor felt the need to throw local money away at advertising and projects that have no direct bearing on making Anchorage a world leader once again for living, working, and playing in the most beautiful place on earth.