North Anchorage Assembly candidate Q&A: Daniel Volland

The Anchorage Daily News asked Anchorage Assembly candidates for District 1, North Anchorage to answer a series of issue questions. Read all of them here.

Daniel Volland | Age: 37 | Occupation: Optometrist | vollandforassembly.com

Candidate background:

I own an eye care clinic downtown, where I have an awesome team that provides compassionate and friendly care for our patients. I majored in biology at Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma, Washington and received my optometry doctorate at Pacific University in the Portland, Oregon area. I got my start up here in Alaska doing rural eye care. Arriving by small plane, boat, snow machine, ATV and sled, I’ve performed pop-up eye clinics in over 30 Alaskan communities — in schools, laundromats, bingo halls, hotels and even a bowling alley. I currently serve as vice chair of the South Addition Community Council. I love being in nature and exploring Alaska, whether it’s packrafting, backcountry ice-skating or walking my dog, Juniper, on the Coastal Trail.

Why are you running?

As a homeowner and small business owner, my investment in our city’s economic growth is personal, just as it is for you. As a health care provider, I want my patients and fellow Anchorage residents to enjoy thriving and safe neighborhoods with a healthy quality of life that is unsurpassed. I want Anchorage to be a place of opportunity for all, where working people can prosper. I care deeply about my community. I believe passionately that despite the challenges we face, our best days can be ahead of us, provided we have thoughtful leadership.

What makes you qualified to represent District 1, North Anchorage on the Assembly?

I’ve been deeply involved in my community. I currently serve as vice chair of the South Addition Community Council and have participated on our Neighborhood Plan and Land Use Committees. I am a member of the Anchorage East Rotary Club and help lead our mobile food pantry project in Fairview. I am a member of the Anchorage Chamber of Commerce legislative committee and young professionals group, as well as the Anchorage Downtown Partnership. I serve on the advisory board of the Arctic Encounter Symposium, the largest Arctic policy convening in the United States, and have served on the board of directors of the Alaska World Affairs Council.

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

North Anchorage needs more housing. Although this may sound like a simplistic answer, it’s the one thing that touches on so many other issues. We need more housing for the homeless, along with the ability to connect unhoused people to vital services like mental health, substance abuse treatment, job placement or medical care. Federal law also requires that we have enough housing and shelter capacity in order to do camp abatement in our parks and trails. Addressing housing inventory and cost of living is also crucial to workforce development. Affordable and middle market-rate housing makes it possible for young professionals, families, retirees and others living on fixed incomes to afford to live in our urban core and be part of a thriving economy. As an Assembly member, I will carefully consider land use and support changes to code that make it easier and less expensive to build multifamily properties and mixed use development, particularly in the downtown core.

Name one thing the Anchorage Assembly and/or Anchorage Mayor Dave Bronson accomplished in the last year that you support, and why.

I believe one of the Assembly’s crowning achievements over the past year has been the creation and expansion of the Anchorage Fire Department’s Mobile Crisis Team. The MCT, comprised of paramedics and mental health clinicians, de-escalates crises and helps folks get connected to the services they need. It often prevents the need and expense of further emergency care. This, in turn, frees up the Anchorage Police Department to respond to property theft, violent crimes and other calls where they are more urgently needed. The highly successful program is funded via the alcohol tax, so it accomplishes its important mission without raising property taxes. Additionally, now that the program has been expanded to 24/7 operation, AFD will be able to bill Medicaid for these services, which will reimburse close to 25% of expenses. In a state and city with high suicide rates, this work is vital.

What is your vision for what North Anchorage looks like in 10 years? What specific steps would you take on the Assembly to help achieve that vision?

My vision for Anchorage is that we become a hub of economic innovation that wields international influence. Our city is unique. We are the only North American metropolis in the subarctic. If current global warming trends continue, Anchorage may draw more visitors and residents as a climate haven. We are a strategic military location and the future home of the Ted Stevens Center for Arctic Security Studies. We have the fourth-busiest cargo airport in the world. I hope that in 10 years we will have made every effort to capitalize on these attributes. On a municipal level, Anchorage can take several concrete steps to move the ball forward: 1. City planning that improves quality of life, in an effort to attract and retain professional and entrepreneurial talent, 2. supporting and funding community incubators that provide educational and professional opportunities, and 3. aggressively taking advantage of any and all state and federal programs that could support these long-term goals.