An Anchorage mayoral forum on Alaska Native issues turned testy Wednesday when one front-runner, Andrew Halcro, referred to another, Dan Coffey, as the "most unethical" mayoral candidate in city history.
Up until that point, homelessness, economic development and problems associated with alcohol dominated the lunchtime forum hosted by the Alaska Native Village Corporation Association and the Alaska Native Professional Association. Organizers hoped to spur a conversation about economic issues, said Curtis McQueen, the CEO of Eklutna Inc. and one of the moderators.
Seven candidates participated in the forum, held at Bear Tooth Theatrepub: Lance Ahern, Paul Bauer Jr., Ethan Berkowitz, Amy Demboski, Timothy Huit, Halcro and Coffey. Candidates agreed on a need for more collaboration and communication between local government and Alaska Native corporations and tribes.
References to ethical leadership surfaced at the end. Coffey, a longtime Anchorage lawyer and lobbyist, sought in his closing statement to refute accusations of special interests, raised obliquely by Demboski earlier in the forum. He called such accusations "nonsense" and said his only "client" would be the city of Anchorage if he's elected.
In her closing, Demboski reiterated campaign promises of ethical leadership and honesty if she's elected. Then Halcro took the topic a step further.
"What we're talking about is a 10-year history of some of the most unethical conduct in the history of Alaska politics," Halcro said. "We're talking about the most unethical candidate to run for mayor in the history of this city."
As Halcro spoke, Coffey leaned over to whisper to Berkowitz, seated on his right, and patted Berkowitz twice on the shoulder. In his statement, Halcro did not identify the candidate he was referring to, but confirmed after the forum that the remark was directed at Coffey.
Coming less than three weeks before the April 7 election, the remarks signal what may be a key line of criticism against Coffey, who has released files on himself online in an effort to fend off parts of his background that could become problems for him in the campaign.
Coffey said later that Halcro's remark was "unfortunate."
"Criticize what I do or think, but don't call names," Coffey said. He added that he's made mistakes and admitted to them, pointing to the release of his files.
The lunchtime event at the Bear Tooth drew about 100 people.
Early in the forum, candidates sought to emphasize their own ties to the Alaska Native community. Coffey said his wife, Pauline, is Tlingit and he was adopted by her tribe several years ago. Berkowitz said a Yup'ik friend had dubbed him "Talukaguq piiyaulraa," or "Walking Raven." Demboski, a first-term Assembly member from Chugiak-Eagle River, highlighted her relationships with Eklutna Inc., which is headquartered in Eagle River, and the Native village of Eklutna.
Demboski and Halcro both said the administration of Mayor Dan Sullivan has fallen short when it comes to communication with Native tribes, and said they would appoint people in charge of community outreach. Huit said he thought the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act should be revisited, and the residents of rural villages empowered to make economic decisions, with the help of Native corporations.
A question about homelessness among Alaska Natives, and the large influx of people moving from rural villages to Anchorage, drew varying responses. Lance Ahern said he wanted to find ways to invest less in commercial development and more in residential. He said that as mayor, he would meet with the city planning department to understand rules and regulations that affect what he called "overinvestment" in commercial real estate.
Bauer noted that Mayor Dan Sullivan convened a task force on homelessness several years ago, but he has not seen action on proposed solutions.
Berkowitz, meanwhile, said the community needs to add 200 detox beds to address issues with housing and homelessness. He said he would explore co-management deals with Native organizations to access federal money for building the facilities. Ahern also noted a lack of investment in detox facilities, and said the municipality and Assembly has not made such facilities a priority.
With the exception of Berkowitz and Coffey, each of the candidates incorporated the phrase "chronic inebriate" into their responses, something that did not go unnoticed.
"I was a little surprised by how many times that word came up, by candidates," McQueen said in an interview later Wednesday. He noted that Anchorage's problems with alcohol are not exclusive to the Alaska Native population, and that the moderators did not prompt the candidates to talk specifically about issues with alcohol.
While not using the exact phrase "chronic inebriate," Coffey in his opening statement referred to alcohol as an "endemic" problem that affects Alaska Natives in Anchorage, and later linked homelessness to issues with mental illness and alcohol.
Correction: This article originally stated Curtis McQueen was president of Eklutna, Inc. He is CEO.