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In advance of the April 6 Anchorage municipal election, the Anchorage Daily News asked candidates running for Anchorage mayor a series of issue questions. These include questions suggested by readers. Read all the mayor and school board candidates’ responses here.
Q: Describe how your administration would approach the coronavirus pandemic
I would remove capacity limits and mask mandate. I would emphasize the different risks associated with different groups and aggressively pursue vaccination for those who are high risk.
Coronavirus infection rate has significantly decreased in Anchorage over the past few months and continues to decline. My approach is one of common sense and personal responsibility. We would end the current mandates on small businesses and our citizenry. While we would encourage personal hygiene to include the use of hand washing and the public use of hand sanitizers, I would not compel, by force of law, the wearing of masks or the forced shutdown of small businesses. My team would evaluate remaining COVID funds and disburse to those individuals and businesses in need.
Continue with mask mandates as indicated by the CDC. You don’t have the right to spread disease in public, plain and simple. Continue acting as a conduit for federal and state assistance of all kinds to the people and businesses of Anchorage in any way possible. Close streets downtown to create an outdoor walking mall this summer to help revitalize downtown, and and work to market Anchorage as a “safe” tourist destination in these times when space is a big issue in terms of health safety.
Getting through the public health crisis and getting our economy back to work will be my administration’s top priority. We can’t beat COVID by pretending it doesn’t exist, and we can’t beat it with anti-mask rhetoric or crowded indoor fundraisers. My administration will use a fact-based approach to address the pandemic, and will listen to public health experts on necessary measures. We will disperse new COVID relief funding quickly and equitably; we must build stronger community coalitions and use existing channels to get information out to small business owners about grants, to those eligible for the vaccine on appointment availability and to residents about important health precautions they can take to slow the spread and ensure our community recovers as quickly as possible.
Leadership requires government to balance a number of competing factors and establish necessary priorities. It is a first-order responsibility of government to ensure the safety of its citizenry. The administration must take all reasonable steps to protect the public health. In doing so, however, the administration must narrowly tailor its protections so that they protect public health while also ensuring the maximum opportunity for businesses to operate. The administration must avoid easy one-size-fits-all solutions.
COVID is the story of two disasters: first, a public health disaster, and second, an economic disaster. In my time at the municipality, I was tasked with dealing with the first. As incident commander, my job was to make sure our local health care providers and first responders had adequate PPE, that we had adequate quarantine facilities and that the public had broad access to free COVID testing. By July, much of that work, hopefully, will be winding down, as case counts continue to fall and life gets closer to “normal.” But I will continue prioritize public health. Mass vaccination efforts will still be underway, and I will strongly support those efforts. The second disaster—the economic toll of COVID—will still be very much with us in July. As mayor, economic recovery will be my top priority.
End the mandates. If number of cases rise, shut down inbound traffic except for shipping.
My administration will be proactive, culturally responsive, accountable and transparent. It is imperative that the mayor protects the public trust and operates from a place of integrity. While I believe in scientific/fact-based decision-making, I also recognize that all politics is local, and we must account for our culture, character and people’s capacity.
I will enlist the aid of proper science in making all decisions around the pandemic. A Robbins administration will be ready to take care of those who get sick and protect those that are most vulnerable. We will keep our city open and not mandate masks unless we are faced with the most grave of circumstances. We will most likely be sworn in at the point where we have reached the 60% vaccination rate and a 30% antibody penetration which will mean the way in which we manage this will become much like the flu or other seasonal afflictions. We will look for ways to help small businesses and others affected by the pandemic using CARES Act funding and other resources available.
Open all businesses and make masks optional. Inform the public that corrective measures may be required if an expansion of the virus or variant occurred and was backed by proven scientific evidence not opinion. I would require 100% open reporting by hospitals in the City with regards to existing bed capacity and reserves that existed. I would require all death certificates prepared to list the primary and secondary causes of death. A person who tests positive with covid but has historical medical issues. Then what is the actual primary cause of death, Covid or historical medical issues. We have always had deaths daily and every flu season in Anchorage as well. Nothing within city government will stop death in Anchorage. Excessive actions by the city government however can destroy the economics and cities can die. We must allow the people of Anchorage to make their own decisions about this issue which is granted by our State constitution.
Read more questions:
Why are you running for mayor?
What’s the biggest challenge facing city government and how would you address it?
Describe how your administration would approach the coronavirus pandemic
Would you make changes to the Anchorage Police Department and policing policies? Why?
Is the Anchorage Police Department adequately staffed?
Describe, with specifics, how you would expand and diversify Anchorage’s economy.
What’s your vision for Anchorage’s economy in the future?
Is taxation in Anchorage too high/about right/too low?
Do you have ideas for alternative sources of city revenue? Explain.
Are there city programs or services you would cut? Explain.
Are there city programs or services you would expand? Explain.
What’s your view of current Anchorage land-use plans? Would you push for changes?
Name a program dealing with homelessness in Anchorage that you believe is working
Are there specific transportation projects you would initiate in the municipality if elected?