Vote to support social justice in Anchorage

After nine years on the Anchorage Assembly, term limits are preventing me from running to represent you again. It has been an honor and a privilege to serve you all these years, and I truly appreciate your support. Rest assured, I will continue to contribute to our community however I am able.

During this time of fiscal crisis at the state level, and relative chaos at the federal level, local politics matter now more than ever. The good news is you can make your voice heard when early voting opens March 20 at City Hall and the Loussac Library for our upcoming Assembly and School Board elections. Precinct polls will open on April 4, the day of the elections.

While we saw a 61 percent voter turnout during the last presidential election and roughly 55 percent in the 2014 midterms, turnout was in the low 20 percent range for our previous Assembly election. The Municipality of Anchorage has jurisdiction over so many important issues that affect you and your family, including essential funding for local schools, public safety and infrastructure projects. I urge you to participate in the local electoral process.

[Assembly rejects most ballot questions but OKs vote for parks service area]

Women and people of color are largely underrepresented in city governments across the country, but here in Anchorage, one of the most multiracial communities in the country, we can and should do better.

That is why I'm happy to see my friends, the Anchorage Democrats, have endorsed dynamic and diverse candidates this cycle. From James Smallwood, an African-American candidate for School Board, to South Anchorage's Suzanne LaFrance and Chugiak/Eagle River's Gretchen Wehmhoff, two women running for Assembly, these candidates will help make our municipal government look a bit more like our community at-large.

Two core principles have guided my Assembly career: social justice and public service. As the first person of an ethnic minority to serve as Assembly chair, social justice drives my policy decisions, and public service is the vehicle through which I carry out these decisions.

Throughout the years, it has been my primary focus to foster overall growth with a mind toward promoting equality. If they are elected, I am confident James, Suzanne and Gretchen will continue this mission.

[20 people file to seek Assembly seats in April 4 election]

It is especially important to think about diversity when looking at our municipal budget. Those who are familiar with my work on the Assembly know me as a budget hawk, focused on line-item appropriations to our municipal programs.

I have always looked at the budget as a moral document that represents how we invest in our people and communities. Once we lose focus on this foundational idea, some neighborhoods fall through the cracks and we miss out on opportunities for progress.

Keeping a close watch on dollars and cents is always important in a thriving city government, but we also must preserve our democratic values during this uncertain fiscal time.

Folks in Mountain View should enjoy the same infrastructure expenditures as those on the Hillside. Fairview residents should have the same health and safety protections as those in West Anchorage.

Only when we look at these fiscal decisions through a lens of social justice will we start to achieve equality among our communities.

Elvi Gray-Jackson, a three-term member, chairs the Anchorage Assembly.

The views expressed here are the writer's and are not necessarily endorsed by Alaska Dispatch News, which welcomes a broad range of viewpoints. To submit a piece for consideration, email commentary@alaskadispatch.com. Send submissions shorter than 200 words to letters@alaskadispatch.com.