Anchorage is a lousy role model

As the state’s largest city, Anchorage should be a leader, a role model for the rest of Alaska.

The city of almost 290,000 people, about 40% of the state’s population, should be a wise, steadying influence — much like a big brother or big sister.

And yet, Anchorage is an unruly sibling of late, more prone to tantrums than solving problems.

The political behavior is appalling. The bickering and nastiness are shameful. The intolerance promoted by some community leaders is a role model of the worst kind.

Anchorage is divided between those who want the city to grow healthier, diverse and more progressive at solving long-standing problems, while a whole lot don’t see all that much need for change, other than more jobs and less government — and fewer face masks.

Much of the growing divisiveness comes from efforts to fight the spread and death from COVID-19. The battles are over face masks, social distancing, government’s role in the effort, personal responsibility and personal freedom.

Not unlike much of the country, though that doesn’t make it OK.

At a municipal assembly meeting, a protestor against a face mask policy publicly shouted a crude, obscene, homophobic slur at an assembly member, who is gay. As the top elected official, Mayor Dave Bronson should have stood up and said something eloquent and forceful about public conduct and hostility. Instead, he was quiet until the next day, when he apologized for not saying anything.

Anti-maskers wore the Star of David to an assembly meeting, likening the Nazi death campaign to public health efforts amid the pandemic. The mayor at first supported the use of the yellow star. Then, a day later, he apologized for endorsing the comparison to the Holocaust.

At one of the most raucous assembly meetings, the mayor’s staff removed the plexiglass that had been installed long ago to help protect the assembly from unmasked audience members speaking at the nearby microphone and possibly spreading the Coronavirus.

During the ongoing turmoil over face masks, Anchorage’s municipal manager, municipal attorney and community development director all came down with COVID. Even then, the mayor did not change his attitude. Meanwhile, Anchorage is in the bottom third of Alaska municipalities for vaccination rates.

Angry residents have twice forced special-election recall votes against assembly members who favored masking orders and other public health initiatives. Both recalls failed by wide margins. The money spent on the latest unsuccessful recall neared half-a-million dollars.

And now the other side of the COVID debate is weighing in with a recall petition against an assembly member who has been a loud and constant critic of mask mandates.

Single-issue recalls are not the answer. They only heighten the divisiveness. Accept that your candidate lost and wait for the next election.

Anchorage needs to grow up and behave like an adult. Stop the yelling and work together. If not, don’t expect Alaskans to think of Anchorage as anything more than a place to shop and leave quickly.

—Wrangell Sentinel