Anchorage mayor candidate Q&As: Are there city programs or services you would expand? Explain.

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: Are there city programs or services you would expand? Explain.

Anna Anthony

No.

Dave Bronson

I believe that some of our problems stem from too much government, which drives spending causing increases in property taxes. We must streamline our government services, not expand them.

Jeffrey Brown

This question is very much like the previous question about cuts. I think fiscal conservatism demands a thoughtful and comprehensive analysis of program and department needs, cuts or expansion based on the needs of the municipality. Without access to real-time information regarding need, effectiveness and budget, statements that I would expand a program or service is putting the cart before the horse. I will say that programs dealing with COVID-19 aid to citizens, businesses and renters will take priority as the pandemic unwinds.

Forrest Dunbar

I support expanding programs that prove they can deliver a higher-quality service while generating cost savings for taxpayers — programs that prevent expensive problems from happening in the first place. For example, the CORE Team is a special unit dedicated to reducing EMS calls by proactively reaching out to the highest utilizers of EMS services to address the underlying causes of their frequent 9-1-1 calls. In the first year of the program, EMS encounters from CORE Team patients dropped by 43%, freeing up paramedic capacity to respond elsewhere, and saving $500,000 in ER bills. Investing in children has a similar effect. Effective early childhood education and child care pay huge dividends in economic, health and public safety outcomes. I strongly support making those investments.

Bill Evans

Potentially. Programs or services which would assist in attracting new investment and development opportunities to Anchorage may need to be expanded or reimagined. Such expansions, however, should be carefully done to ensure a return on investment. As a government, we need to be imaginative and creative in our approach to economic development. We cannot be afraid to try new approaches nor can we be afraid to admit when such approaches are not working.

Bill Falsey

As mayor, I would work to expand early childhood education offerings in the city. The hard numbers show pre-K makes good economic sense. Study after study shows long-term benefits: positive brain development in a child’s early years means a child is more likely to succeed in school, find steady, meaningful employment, enjoy better health and stay out of the prison system. By not investing in our youngest, we’re “saving ourselves poor.” Quality child care exists in Anchorage, but it’s wildly expensive. Because our university system is subsidized, it can cost more to send a 3-year-old to preschool than it does to send a young adult to UAA. We’re still running a system that, for most families, all but forces one parent to drop out of the workforce.

Heather Herndon

No. With the exception of a Native commission that would contribute directly to the mayor’s office to resolve issues between Anchorage and Alaskan villages resulting in homelessness.

George Martinez

Yes, here are five services that we could expand.

1) I would expand the job shop program to help displaced workers get back into the workforce.

2) Public transportation (buses) to help people get back to full employment

3) Youth Employment in Parks is the premier youth employment

4) Firewise Home Assessment Program

5) Revamp Grafitti Busters

Mike Robbins

Every program and/or service we provide should be constantly evaluated. I am for cutting any service or program that does not provide the proper return on investment. I am for expanding any city program or service that is delivering and has the potential for delivering more results for our taxpayers. Nothing specific at this time.

Albert Swank Jr.

If necessary and economically viable, I would.

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Read more questions:

Why are you running for mayor?

What in your background or experience sets you apart from the other candidates and makes you suited to be an effective mayor of Anchorage?

What’s the biggest challenge facing city government and how would you address it?

Describe how your administration would approach the coronavirus pandemic

What’s your assessment of how Anchorage’s city government has responded to the pandemic over the past year? What, if anything, would you have done differently?

What role should city government play in repairing economic damage to individuals, businesses and community organizations from the pandemic?

What’s your vision for downtown, and what specifically are your short-term and long-term plans for repairing damage from the past year?

Would you make changes to the Anchorage Police Department and policing policies? Why?