Money pours into Anchorage Assembly and school board races

Candidates for Anchorage Assembly and school board are revving up their campaigns as the April 5 municipal election approaches, and a large amount of money is flowing toward several of them.

Year-start reports were due to the state Friday, showing campaign donations and expenses up to Feb. 1, 2022.

In East Anchorage, where Assembly incumbent Forrest Dunbar faces candidate Stephanie Taylor for seat H, over a quarter million dollars has already poured into the race in direct campaign donations. Dunbar has so far outraised Taylor with a total of more than $167,414. But Taylor, a first-time candidate, has brought in $109,913. East Anchorage candidate Christopher Hall reported no income so far.

Big money in the East Anchorage race stands in contrast to other Assembly races, where most candidates have raised amounts in the tens of thousands of dollars.

[Here’s who has filed to run for Anchorage Assembly and school board in the spring 2022 election]

In West Anchorage, incumbent Kameron Perez-Verdia is ahead in terms of fundraising in the race for seat D, having raised $70,310 so far. Opponent Liz Vazquez has raised $37,038, according to her report. A year-start report for Nial Williams, another candidate for the seat, was not available Wednesday.

The two other Assembly incumbents have fallen behind their challengers in fundraising. Kathy Henslee, candidate for seat F in Midtown, has garnered $87,244, outraising Assembly member Meg Zaletel by nearly $37,000, according to the report. In November, Zaletel handily defeated a recall campaign against her, then turned to the campaign to keep her seat.

South Anchorage Assembly member John Weddleton faces challenger Randy Sulte, who has raised a few thousand more, with $62,178 compared to Weddleton’s $57,575. South Anchorage candidate Darin Colbry reported no campaign income so far.

In Eagle River/Chugiak, where incumbent Crystal Kennedy is not seeking reelection, candidate Kevin Cross has raised just over $15,360. Former Assembly member Gretchen Wehmhoff, who announced her candidacy just before the deadline in January, has reported no donations so far. A year-start report for another Eagle River/Chugiak Assembly candidate, Vanessa Stephens, was not available on Wednesday.

Mayor Dave Bronson is helping campaign for several of this year’s candidates, including Taylor, Cross, Henslee and Sulte. State records show he and/or his wife Debra have donated to several campaigns, including those for Taylor, Henslee and Sulte.

[Anchorage leaders will soon choose new district boundaries. Here’s what that could mean for voters.]

A self-described conservative, the mayor and his administration have clashed with the current Assembly’s progressive-leaning majority since Bronson took office last year. While Assembly seats are technically nonpartisan, if voters elect some of the mayor’s more conservative allies, it could strengthen his hand and weaken the Assembly majority’s power.

In the race for the Anchorage School Board, incumbents Margo Bellamy and Kelly Lessens have a wide lead in fundraising, with more than $47,875 and $71,725 respectively. Bellamy, the current school board president, faces two challengers, Cliff Murray and Mark Anthony Cox. Cox reported $1,650 in donations, including one from Bronson. Murray reported a $1,500 contribution from himself.

Rachel Ries is challenging Lessens and has raised $12,308 so far, including a donation from the mayor, according to the report.

Some of the more conservative candidates in this year’s election are working together as they attempt to shift the balance of power in the city, including a joint fundraiser held for Henslee, Taylor and Sulte, and another upcoming fundraiser between Taylor, Cross and Ries.

Assembly incumbents Dunbar, Perez-Verdia, Weddleton and Zaletel are also campaigning together at an upcoming event and have been jointly endorsed by more progressive groups like the Alaska Center.

This year’s city election is seeing a big change following a 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals decision to overturn some of Alaska’s campaign contribution limits. That decision, coupled with preliminary guidance from state campaign finance regulators, means individuals and groups can donate far more to single candidates than they previously could.

The new limit is $1,500 for individual donations to a candidate per calendar year — up from $500 — and a $3,000 annual limit for groups donating to a candidate, up from $1,000.