With our vote-by-mail ballots for the Anchorage municipal runoff soon on the way, I wanted to share why Suzanne LaFrance is by far the strongest candidate to be our next mayor. It should go without saying that the Bronson administration has been an unmitigated catastrophe for our city. Fortunately, LaFrance’s experience, intelligence, values and temperament make her the perfect person to put Anchorage back on the right track.
Before serving with distinction on the Anchorage Assembly, LaFrance worked for decades in the telecommunications industry during a period of incredible technological change. Her combination of private and public sector leadership is ideal because Anchorage needs someone with extensive knowledge of how the Municipality works and experience in the private sector.
LaFrance has the perfect combination of traits for executive service, and these are essential for a strong-mayor city like Anchorage. She is both analytical and strong in her values. She listens closely and identifies how to lead with the whole team being fully committed to the mission. In Alaska, our local governments do far more than in the Lower 48, where responsibilities are more spread across numerous (and frequently less efficient) layers of government. With her experience being highly effective on the Assembly, LaFrance is the only candidate with a record of understanding how the Municipality works, and what needs to change immediately when a new mayor takes office.
Anchorage and Alaska should be thriving right now. With a global workforce that can live anywhere, and incredible economic opportunities related to technological changes in sectors as diverse as energy and logistics, we should be growing and cleaning up our city. Tragically, the incompetence and ideologically driven opposition to the delivery of basic services has held us back.
Suzanne LaFrance has the ability and resolve to change our community’s trajectory immediately, and for our Anchorage’s sake, I hope you’ll join me in voting for her in this municipal election.
— Kevin D. McGee
Anchorage
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