Anchorage Assembly candidate Q&A: Darin Colbry

The Anchorage Daily News asked candidates for Anchorage Assembly to answer a series of issue questions. Read all of them here.

Darin Colbry | District: 6 | Age: 45 | Occupation: Landscaping and DoorDashing

What is a short summary of your background?

I’m born and raised in Anchorage. It used to be a safe city, but it changed and went downhill.

Why are you running?

To bring good change to Anchorage, back to a safe place to live.

What makes you qualified to serve on the Anchorage Assembly?

I know what it is like to be struggle to make ends meet as a low-income person.

What is the most important problem facing Anchorage? How would you address it?

Public safety, homelessness. I would sit down with everyone and we would come up with a better solution for homelessness.

What is the most important problem facing your district? How would you address it?

Public safety. I would get more patrols in neighborhoods at night.

What is your vision of the role of local government in Anchorage?

Keeping them from overreaching; helping us when we need it.

Rate Dave Bronson’s performance as mayor. Explain, with specific examples.

I give him a 10 because he has an Assembly that is hard to work with.

Rate the performance of the current Assembly. Explain, with specific examples.

Zero because they are overreaching and not letting the mayor run the city.

What’s your vision for improving and diversifying Anchorage’s economy?

We need to use our resources in the growth of jobs and more vocational training schools and in tourism, which is where we get our money.

What do you see as the most effective strategies to address homelessness in Anchorage going forward?

It’s a very tricky area, there is no easy solution, but as a community we need to come together for a solution.

What’s your assessment of Anchorage’s transportation infrastructure? How would you improve it?

I think the roads are some problems. As long as we are on track to make them safer to travel, then we should not change it.

Does the city do a good job of running municipal elections? Would you push for changes? Explain.

I think they are doing a great job. The only thing I might change is try a choice-ranking system. It works in some states.

The past two years have been marked by increased civic discord in Anchorage. How would you improve the quality of civic discourse in the city?

I would make sure that we try to come together and with the truth have an open dialogue on issues that are affecting our city.

Do you acknowledge the results of the 2020 presidential election? Also, what are your thoughts on what took place on Jan. 6, 2021 in the U.S. Capitol?

I have no comment on the 2020 presidential election because I leave that up to God. And I condemn the the riot on the Capitol building because as adults, we need to think better about our actions.

What’s one thing that makes you hopeful about Anchorage’s future?

I think we can change for the better and get back together as a community and show the other states we can pull together when things are hard.

What other important issue would you like to discuss?

I know we can get a handle on car break-ins in this city by a vote for me.