North Anchorage Assembly candidate Q&A: What is your vision for what your district looks like in 10 years?

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.

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?

Cliff Baker

I would like to see a revitalized downtown, encourage new businesses and residents to the area, improve pedestrian/cycling corridors throughout North Anchorage connecting to existing trails, making downtown a desirable destination to commute, gather and a place to live.

Rob Forbes

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 21.

Tasha Hotch

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.

Robin Phillips

Within the next 10 years, I would like to see Anchorage become an All American City again. We need to regain our title as the first best stop to reach Alaska’s playground. To achieve Anchorage’s greatness, we have to make tough changes to improve the economy, clean up the streets, provide stable transportation for businesses and individuals and be more efficient with open lines of communications. As a leader with a vision of prosperity, I am ready to take on the challenges that affect homelessness and public safety. I will advocate for a stable infrastructure focusing on the Port of Alaska and other supply chain corridors. I am willing to work with all parties to look for efficiencies in government and modernization where we can. I will foster the open lines of communications so misunderstandings are minimal and the residents of Anchorage feel their voice matters.

Stephanie Taylor

I envision a unified community with a bustling downtown that attracts new businesses and residents. I will work to find bridges across political divides and treat constituents and colleagues with decency and respect. I would like to see people now experiencing homelessness finding mentors and bridges out of poverty (including treatment for addiction or mental health) to gainful employment and affordable housing. I’d begin by following the examples of nonprofits who are doing this successfully. I want families and individuals to feel safe on our streets, as they build positive relationships with one another. We must also provide law enforcement the tools, training and resources they need to do their jobs well. I envision small businesses and nonprofits springing up from the creativity and ingenuity of our brilliant residents, unencumbered by unnecessary regulations and heavy tax burdens. I will focus on controlling spending and eliminating waste, empowering individuals to solve our greatest challenges.

Daniel Volland

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.