After voting last year to move the city's 2017 regular election from April to November, the Anchorage Assembly voted Tuesday night to move the election back to April.
The vote was 7-3, with Assembly member Bill Starr abstaining. Assembly member Patrick Flynn, who spearheaded the measure, and others who supported the reversal cited logistical concerns about running local elections at the same time as federal and state elections, including voter confusion, a shortage of election workers and state ownership of election equipment.
Assembly member Ernie Hall originally supported the 2014 push to move the election to November. But he said Tuesday night he's developed numerous concerns, including that local candidates could be drowned out in a noisy state or national election.
Boosting voter turnout was the main reason originally cited for moving the election to November. Former Assembly member Chris Birch, who introduced that measure, had said that recent city races drew 20 to 35 percent of voters, compared to a 50 to 60 percent turnout for fall state races.
"It baffles me why anyone would support holding an election at a time when so few people turn out," Birch said in a phone interview Tuesday.
Hall, the chair of the Assembly's ethics and elections committee, said the Assembly and clerk's office are exploring ways to increase turnout, such as moving to a mail-in election.
On Tuesday night, there was occasionally heated debate about whether Assembly members had ethical conflicts associated with the vote. Assembly member Bill Starr recused himself, saying he felt he had a conflict of interest because he would be diminishing the public trust no matter which way he voted. The other Assembly members whose terms are ending in 2017 -- Pete Petersen, Tim Steele, Patrick Flynn, Elvi Gray-Jackson and Bill Evans -- said they did not have a conflict because they would be voting to truncate their terms. Evans, who ultimately voted against moving the election back to April, said he makes less money overall by serving on the Assembly than he would in the private sector.
Assembly members would have earned about $20,000 in salary pay by serving the extra seven months in office. That's the reason November city elections had been set to start in 2017 -- to avoid causing conflicts for sitting Assembly members in last year's vote.
Assembly member Amy Demboski of Eagle River, who cast a "no" vote along with Evans and Jennifer Johnston, argued the body should delay the legislation a month to amend the city ethics code and clarify the procedure. Evans said he wanted to keep the election in November to boost turnout.
A spokesman for Mayor Ethan Berkowitz wrote in an email that the mayor supported the change, adding that April elections "allow Anchorage voters to focus on Anchorage issues."
Fire union contract approved
In other business Tuesday night, the Assembly approved a contract for the city's fire union, the International Association of Firefighters Local 1264. The contract was similar to others negotiated by the administration of former Mayor Dan Sullivan and includes provisions that restructure the way fire employees are paid.
Fire employees will see a 3 percent raise in June, followed by annual raises of 2 percent in 2016 and 2017, and 1.5 percent for the first six months of 2018. Starting in 2017, the contract eliminates performance-based incentive pay for firefighters, which city officials said will lead to savings of $2.1 million over the life of the contract.
Mike Stumbaugh, president of the firefighters union, called it a "good, fair contract for the taxpayers." Stumbaugh also said the new contract gives management more flexibility in terms of staffing, a key issue in last year's debate over city labor law.
Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated that Assembly members Patrick Flynn, Elvi Gray-Jackson and Bill Starr would be up for re-election in 2017. The three are prohibited by term limits from running for re-election in 2017.