Anchorage Mayor-elect Dave Bronson announces transition team

Anchorage Mayor-elect Dave Bronson announced his transition team Monday, saying he would focus on economic recovery, public safety and government efficiency when he takes office as mayor July 1.

“Without a robust economy, Anchorage will never recover,” he said.

Bronson said he planned to freeze municipal hiring and would review city jobs for “inefficiencies” to shrink the size of government. He named Larry Baker and Craig Campbell, two veteran players in Alaska Republican political circles, as his transition team leaders.

He didn’t say whether he would support a recently announced plan to purchase a disused Alaska Club property on Tudor Road in Midtown for an emergency shelter for unhoused people.

“It’ll land on my desk on July 1, and on July 1 we will look at that decision very carefully,” Bronson said.

Bronson, a former airline pilot, emerged the victor in a close city election in which pandemic restrictions and homelessness emerged as central issues in the contest against his opponent Forrest Dunbar.

As of Friday, Bronson had 50.66% of the vote. Dunbar conceded the same day.

The Anchorage Assembly is set to certify the election result Tuesday.

[Bronson set to win race for Anchorage mayor; Dunbar concedes]

At a news conference in Anchorage on Monday, Bronson stood flanked by his transition team leaders Campbell and Baker.

Axiom Strategies, a Kansas-based Republican political consulting firm founded by Ted Cruz’s former campaign manager, was listed as a contact for the event. The administration has not yet announced a communications director.

“We are finishing up our contract on the campaign side by assisting with communications right now,” said Shelby Lintz of Axiom, which did work for Bronson’s campaign. “Mayor-elect Bronson will be bringing on a communications director and they will take over.”

Campbell served as lieutenant governor, head of the Alaska National Guard, and executive of the Alaska Aerospace Corp.

Baker, a former state legislator and city official, is a longtime Anchorage developer and businessman who owned Burger King franchises.

Both served on the Anchorage Assembly in the 1980s.

Bronson also released a document outlining a plan to have five teams review areas of municipal policy and government, ranging from “vagrancy and homelessness” to policing to economic recovery.

The document includes topics for review such as attracting retailers to downtown Anchorage, regaining certification as a Division I hockey venue and improvements to the Port of Alaska. It did not name any other transition team members.

Bronson said he spoke with acting mayor Austin Quinn-Davidson on a “very congenial and productive call” last week.

READ THE BRONSON TRANSITION PLAN: