Anchorage Assembly member Elvi Gray-Jackson said Thursday she expects to be the Assembly's next chair, the first time a member of a racial minority group has led the body.
The current chair, her ally Dick Traini, declined to comment. But Gray-Jackson said Traini had agreed to be vice-chair, a swap of their current roles.
While she needs six votes to be confirmed, the Assembly is ideologically in sync with her perspectives on many issues. The election earlier this week appeared to increase the Assembly's liberal or progressive majority.
"I'm hopeful it will happen," Gray-Jackson said in a phone interview. "I'm ready to take on the leadership role."
The chair's main responsibilities include running Assembly meetings and organizing committees.
The Assembly is required by law to reorganize its leadership after a city election. That's typically in April, though the change can technically happen anytime.
The move to reorganize is planned to happen at the April 19 meeting, after the election results are certified, Gray-Jackson said. Assembly members vote on leadership changes by a secret ballot.
Gray-Jackson, who is African-American, became the Assembly's vice chair in December 2014, when Traini replaced Patrick Flynn as chair. She was the second minority to serve in that role and would be the first to serve as chair.
She is barred by term limits from running again in 2017.