North Anchorage Assembly candidate Q&A: Rob Forbes

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.

Rob Forbes | Age: 40 | Occupation: Business owner | forbesforanchorage.com

Candidate background:

I am a homegrown Alaskan who arrived in 1986 via the Air Force. I grew up on Elmendorf, then East Anchorage and graduated from Bartlett High School in 1999. After attending college in North Dakota and Reno, Nevada, I came back home to Alaska with a fire science AA to finish my bachelor’s degree in human services. My lifelong dream was of being a firefighter in Anchorage. Life had other plans for me. I have owned all or part of multiple local businesses over the past 20 years in Anchorage including Shred Alaska, The Propane Guys, The Eureka Space and Fat Tire Consulting. I am an entrepreneur and family man who is blessed with an amazing wife who teaches with ASD, and we have two young hockey players for daughters who are ages 10 and 12 this year. Life. Is. Good.

Why are you running?

It is time for a change. It is time for a new generation and style of leadership. It is time for partisan politics to be out of our Assembly. I will bring that change. I hold no party affiliation. I do not identify with any specific platform. I am an issues voter like many of you and I understand how complex we are as humans - as a part of an already complex societal system. We have determined somehow that our government should function in a bipolar duopoly where the middle ground is no longer acceptable and an allegiance to one side or the other is what is necessary to get the financial and volunteer backing needed to be granted a seat in office. But why? I promise each and every voter this one very important thing: I will listen to you in-person or at Assembly meetings, my door and inbox will always be open. I will set aside any of my own personal beliefs to represent you with only one simple goal in mind: to ensure we are making Anchorage a better place for all.

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

Technically, I just filled out the paperwork and happened to live in the district for more than enough time and voila! Here I am, on a mail-in ballot near you! All jokes aside, I am not someone insanely special. I wanted to be a firefighter in Anchorage. It was always my dream. I got my AAS in fire science in Reno, Nevada and finished my bachelor’s degree in human services here in Anchorage. I worked full-time through school and lived with my now wife of 17 years as we started a family. I dedicated my life to my business and its employees at Shred Alaska until late 2018. I learned a lot about life, business, people and priorities through that process. Since then I have invested in multiple companies locally, while making sure I focus on giving others the same opportunities that were granted to me... to earn a viable place in life. I plan to continue that path through my work on the Assembly as well.

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

Lack of opportunity, hope, purpose and mission for far too many residents. North Anchorage is one of the most diverse districts for any city or community council nationwide. We span an area that has a broad array of issues that are drastically different depending on the neighborhood, person, family or business you are asking. While I have been able to work hard and achieve a moderate amount of success in life, too many others have not been blessed with the same opportunity. I came from nothing as the son of an enlisted military veteran and a stay-at-home mom. I have lived on Muldoon next to a liquor store, in Mountain View and off Boniface. Lack of opportunity for many in our district juxtaposed to the abundance in South Addition and downtown is stark. We must focus on understanding the needs of all communities with the goal of having a thriving business district in all parts of Anchorage — not just our downtown. Not just jobs. Opportunities. Real opportunities.

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

Mayor Bronson’s decisive leadership for the city and the Assembly staying out of the business of mandates was a great accomplishment and a show of strong leadership. I would like to go on record to state that as your Anchorage Assembly representative I will not ever be a vote for the following: school closures, mask mandates, lockdowns of any kind, business or services closures, vaccine mandates (private or public). I will not vote for school closures. I will support mask recommendations and online learning options. I will not vote for mask mandates. I will support mask requirements in hospitals, nursing homes and in any private business that chooses to require all patrons wear masks. I will not vote for lockdowns. I will push for additional services for those that must isolate. I will not support private business or public service closures. Our economy must keep moving. I will not vote for a vaccine mandate. What you do with your body is your choice.

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?

In the year 2032, I see Anchorage as a leading northern city unlike any other in the U.S.A. Our geography and our residents are uniquely Alaskan and the heights of what we can accomplish together are unparalleled. But we must work together. To start, we must end the process of electing politicians to the Anchorage Assembly. By 2032, I see a multitude of hiking, biking and winter trails being developed throughout Chugach State Park to our east. I see the Coastal Trail with lights as it wraps south past Kincaid to eventually connect at Bird Creek. I see a vibrant downtown that focuses on people and business first. I see Mountain View and Fairview with modern, safe, attractive and affordable homes with land that families can enjoy and have pride in. I see more charter school programs and more of our kids choosing to live here after college. I have hope for Anchorage. But I am not blind. We have a lot of work to do. Let’s get started. Vote Forbes on June 21st.