Letters to the Editor

Letter: Supporting Project Anchorage

I strongly support Project Anchorage. By passing a small temporary sales tax, we can make lasting improvements to our city, attract and retain families, and decrease resident property taxes by capturing visitor spending.

I’m a lifelong Alaskan — born here in 1982 — who has moved all over the country since leaving for the U.S. Air Force Academy in 2001. One of the places I was assigned was Oklahoma City, which instituted a program similar to Project Anchorage, called MAPS, in the mid-1990s. I lived there twice, and the transformation that the city made between my arrival in 2006 and today is incredible — largely due to the success of MAPS.

My family returned to Anchorage in 2020, and I plan to retire from the Air Force next year. My wife, a medical provider, is also from Anchorage, and I have a preschooler and a second grader. We’re heavily invested in and passionate about the future of Anchorage and know too many successful families deciding to stay or move away based on Anchorage’s economic future, school quality, services, facilities, etc.

I hope Anchorage residents overwhelmingly support Project Anchorage and commit to its proven methods. Let’s jumpstart growth and build a brighter future for our city.

— Clint Hammer

Anchorage

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