North Anchorage Assembly candidate Q&A: Tasha Hotch

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.

Tasha Hotch | Age: 44 | Occupation: Program manager, Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium | tashaforanchorage.com

Candidate background:

Tasha Hotch is Tlingit and has worked in tribal health for 17 years. While working she went to school and obtained her B.S. in Management and an MBA with an emphasis in project management. She has served on the Tyson Elementary School PTA, the Anchorage School District Multi-Cultural Concerns Advisory Committee and Cook Inlet Tribal Council’s Johnson O’Malley Committee. She has served in officer roles with Alaska Native Professional Association, her local community council and her tribe Central Council Tlingit and Haida. She currently serves on the board for Neighborworks Alaska. For the last six years, Tasha has served as an appointed commissioner on the municipal Budget Advisory Commission. Tasha has been recognized as an Alaska Top 40 under 40 for her many contributions to the community.

Why are you running?

I want to create better access to government for working families that don’t have the time to attend Assembly meetings. I also believe that our government should reflect the diversity of the community.

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

I have been engaging with our government for decades, from local community councils to traveling to Washington, D.C. I have taken the time to get to know Assembly members and the mayor to have a good working relationship with everyone who has been elected to serve our community. I have even taken it a step further by being involved on the Budget Advisory Commission and having meetings with different departments to get additional information about how they operate.

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

Public safety. This comes in many forms, from our underfunding of the police department to lack of housing for the houseless, and poor upkeep of our community spaces. I would like to create more opportunities for the community to interact with our peace officers and provide incentives for new housing development.

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

I think that the focus on funding for the Port of Anchorage has been vital. It’s something that the Budget Advisory Commission has identified as one of its priorities when looking at the budget, and I think that as a community we have seen how quickly panic purchases happen when there is concern of supply chain issues. I’ve been happy to see it being discussed in a more realistic manner of who else needs to be involved in the conversations so that this critical work can get done.

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?

Safe neighborhoods where residents feel more connected to each other, from more investment in their neighborhood plans. Community councils put together capital project lists every year, and I’d advocate for a more equitable approach on how our tax dollars are spent in reinvesting in our neighborhoods.