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NEXT UP, INCUMBENT, TIM STEELE.
YOUR OPENING STATEMENT PLEASE.
THANK YOU.
I'M TIM STEELE AND I'M RUNNING FOR REELECTION
TO THE ANCHORAGE ASSEMBLY FROM WEST ANCHORAGE.
I KNOW THERE MAY BE SOME CONFUSION ABOUT
THE MUNICIPAL ELECTION.
WE HAVE HAVE HAD SOME DISCUSSIONS ON THE ASSEMBLY
ABOUT MOVING IT TO AUGUST AND I WANT TO MAKE SURE
EVERYBODY KNOWS IT'S APRIL 1.
I WAS ELECTED TO THE ASSEMBLY LAST YEAR AND THIS YEAR HAS BEEN
A LEARNING EXPERIENCE.
AND MY COMMITTEES ARE THE AMTS COMMITTEE
AND THE ENTERPRISE COMMITTEE AND HOPEFULLY WE'LL HAVE
SOME QUESTIONS ABOUT THAT AS GET ON WITH THE CONVERSATION.
YOU ARE AN INCUMBENT SEEKING ANOTHER TERM.
WHAT IS YOUR PRIMARY ACCOMPLISHMENT
AND WHAT IS YOUR PRIMARY HOPE IF REELECTED OF WHAT YOU CAN DO?
WELL, MY PRIMARY ACCOMPLISHMENT IS I WAS ABLE TO GET IN
ON THE GROUND FLOOR THIS YEAR OF PREPARATION FOR THE BUDGET,
AND WAS ABLE TO MAKE A FEW AMENDMENTS TO THE MAYOR'S
BUDGET THAT ADDED SOME THINGS THAT I THINK ARE VERY IMPORTANT.
LOUSSAC LIBRARY, SOME FLOODING SPENDING REQUESTS,
AND BONDS FOR A FEW OTHER THINGS,
BUT IT'S A LEARNING EXPERIENCE AND I'M VISITING ALL THOSE
COMPONENTS AND SPENDING TIME LEARNING THE JOB.
WHAT SURPRISED YOU ABOUT BECOMING AN ASSEMBLY INSIDER
AS A MEMBER?
BOY, THE THING THAT SURPRISED ME HAVING BEEN ON THE SCHOOL BOARD
FOR NINE YEARS IS THAT THE ASSEMBLY IS SO POLITICAL.
THE ASSEMBLY, OR THE SCHOOL BOARD IS MORE LIKE
A BOARD OF DIRECTORS RUNNING THE SCHOOL DISTRICT,
BUT THE ASSEMBLY PRETTY MUCH EVERYTHING
HAS A POLITICAL BENT TO IT.
POLITICAL IN WHAT CONTEXT?
WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY THAT?
UH, POLITICS IN THAT FOLKS ARE SIDED UP ON VARIOUS SIDES.
EXAMPLES OF THAT I SUPPOSE ARE CERTAINLY THE LABOR LAW
AND THERE'S JUST BEEN MANY TIMES WHERE YOU HAVE TO COUNT VOTES,
BUT YOU CAN'T TALK TO MORE THAN THREE PEOPLE.
IT'S A, IT'S A TAXING SITUATION.
NOMINALLY THE MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS
ARE NON-PARTISAN ELECTIONS.
IS THAT JUST SOMETHING THAT'S ONLY NOMINAL
AND WE'VE LIVED PAST THAT?
WELL, IT'S HARD TO REMAIN NONPARTISAN.
I AM A NONPARTISAN.
THAT'S MY, MY REGISTRATION.
I WAS ON THE SCHOOL BOARD AND I AM NOW,
BY CHARTER WE SHOULD BE.
AND I THINK WE SHOULD BE MAKING DECISIONS BASED ON
WHAT'S BEST FOR THE COMMUNITY,
THE MERITS OF WHATEVER THE ISSUE IS,
BUT THAT'S NOT ALWAYS THE CASE.
IT SEEMS LIKE VOTES TEND TO COME DOWN WITH THE SAME PEOPLE
ON THE OPPOSITE SIDES.
THE DISPUTES OVER THE SULLIVAN ADMINISTRATION'S REVISION
OF THE LABOR LAW HAVE DOMINATED ASSEMBLY NEWS FOR A YEAR,
AS YOU WELL KNOW.
DID YOU SUPPORT THE CHANGES, IF SO WHY?
IF NOT, WHY NOT?
I DON'T DOUBT THAT SOME CHANGES ARE NECESSARY,
BUT I GUESS THE WAY THE ITEM CAME UP AND WAS PRESENTED
WAS SURPRISING TO ME.
YOU OUGHT TO BE DOING THINGS LIKE THAT IN NEGOTIATIONS,
NOT CHANGING THE SHAPE OF THE, THE SHAPE OF THE FIELD
OR THE SLOPE OF THE TABLE BY DICTATE.
THERE HAVE BEEN A NUMBER OF STORIES ON THE REDUCTION
OF THE SIZE OF THE POLICE FORCE.
DO WE HAVE AN ADEQUATE NUMBER OF POLICE OFFICERS HERE
IN ANCHORAGE FOR THE JOB THEY ARE ASKED TO DO?
NO.
THE POLICE FORCE HAS LOST SOMETHING LIKE 57 OFFICERS
THIS LAST YEAR AND THEY ARE DOWN TO A,
DOWN TO A LEVEL WHERE THEY'RE NOT ABLE TO ADEQUATELY
ENFORCE TRAFFIC.
AND I DID DO A RIDE-ALONG WITH THE POLICE DEPARTMENT
ONE EVENING, ONE NIGHT, AND WE HAD 23 CALLS
BEFORE WE WENT ON SHIFT AND WE NEVER,
NEVER GOT RID OF ALL THEM.
WE WERE CONSTANTLY RUNNING FROM ONE TO ANOTHER.
THAT MAKES IT DIFFICULT TO DO ANY POLICING OTHER THAN
THE MAJOR CRIMES.
WHEN YOU GET OUT IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD,
OR IN YOUR DISTRICT I SHOULD SAY AND HAVE A CHANCE
TO TALK TO VOTERS, WHAT DO THEY WANT TO TALK ABOUT?
I, YOU KNOW, I'VE WALKED, I KNOCKED ON ABOUT 1,000 DOORS,
10 MONTHS AGO, ALL SUMMER LAST SUMMER AND MOST OF THE WINTER
AND THEY WANTED TO TALK ABOUT AO 37.
THAT WAS THE LABOR LAW.
IT WAS HOT THAT TIME,
AND I KNOCKED ON MANY A REPUBLICANS DOOR
THAT WAS JUST FUMING THAT THE MAYOR HAD DONE IT
THE WAY HE HAD DONE IT.
YOU KNOW, WE ALL THE KNOW THE LINES THAT WERE UP
TO TESTIFY ON ALL THOSE ISSUES.
IT JUST, IT JUST INFURIATED PEOPLE.
THE EXPANSION REBUILD OF THE PORT OF ANCHORAGE
SEEMS TO BE AN ENDLESS SOURCE OF TRIAL AND TRIBULATION.
THERE'S CHARGES OF MONEY WASTED, DELAYS,
UNFINISHED PROJECTS, MANY POINTED FINGERS.
WE'VE GOT OURSELVES IN A VERY MESSY SITUATION.
HOW DO WE GET OUT OF IT?
YEAH, WE HAVE.
YOU KNOW, IT'S A REAL SIGN OF MISMANAGEMENT.
WE, WE THE CITY, SIGNED A CONTRACT WITH MARAD,
THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT, TO MANAGE THE PORT PROJECT FOR US
AND THEN WE KINDA STEPPED AWAY.
I THINK, I THINK THE PROBLEMS CAME UP BECAUSE THE CITY
WAS NOT, WAS NOT IN THE LOOP IN TERMS OF MONITORING
WHAT THEIR CONTRACTOR WAS DOING.
NOW THEY HAD DENIABILITY AND THEY ARE,
THEY PROBABLY HAVE STANDING THE LAWSUIT
THAT'S GOING ON, BUT THIS TIME AROUND
I'M GOING TO BE INVOLVED AND I HOPE THE ASSEMBLY
IS GOING TO BE KEPT WELL INFORMED.
OKAY, THE LEGISLATURE CONTINUES TO FUND AT SOME LEVEL
THE PROPOSED KNIK ARM CROSSING.
YET, IT ONLY CONTINUES TO BE PROPOSED.
IS THERE GOING TO BE A CROSSING AND ARE YOU IN FAVOR
OF THE CROSSING?
SOMEDAY, SOMEDAY THERE WILL BE.
EXCUSE ME.
WE JUST HAD A JOINT MEETING WITH THE MAT-SU ASSEMBLY
AND WE TALKED ABOUT IT, AND THEY WERE ALL GUNG HO
FOR THE KNIK ARM BRIDGE.
MY WAS NOT PERCEIVED VERY WELL WHEN I SAID, "YOU KNOW,
THERE'S NOT MUCH IN IT FOR THE CITY OF ANCHORAGE,
EXCEPT TRAFFIC."
THE BRIDGE WOULD DROP PEOPLE DOWNTOWN.
IT WOULD BE A WAY FOR PEOPLE TO GET OUT OF TOWN.
YES, IT WOULD ADD SOME NEW LAND TO THE MIX,
BUT ANCHORAGE DOESN'T GET ANYTHING FROM THAT.
SO, IN MY MIND, THERE ARE OTHER WAYS TO DO IT.
MAYBE A PORT AUTHORITY OF SOME SORT SO THAT ANCHORAGE
GETS SOME INDUSTRIAL LAND ACROSS WAY,
BUT FOR ANCHORAGE THERE'S NOT A LOT IN IT.
OKAY.
AND KEEPING WITH TRANSPORTATION,
WHAT IS ANCHORAGE'S NUMBER ONE TRANSPORTATION PRIORITY?
WELL, MY NUMBER ONE TRANSPORTATION PRIORITY
IS BERNARD ROAD.
BEEN WORKING AT IT FOR ABOUT 12 YEARS TRYING TO GET
THE TOWN SITE, TOWN CENTER UPGRADED.
SO WE DO HAVE A HEAD, PUT SOME MONEY IN THE BUDGET THIS TIME,
THE BUDGET REQUEST FROM THE, FROM THE STATE.
WE'LL SEE WHAT HAPPENS WITH THAT, BUT ONE WAY OR ANOTHER
WE'RE GONNA GET THAT ROAD DONE.
THE HIGHWAY-TO-HIGHWAY LONG TERM IS A BIG ISSUE.
I WISH WE WERE GOING FORWARD AT A FASTER RATE.
IT'S GOING TO BE DECADES BEFORE WE GET IT DONE,
BUT THAT CONNECTION SEEMS TO ME IS CRITICAL.
OKAY, WHAT CAN BE DONE TO IMPROVE PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION?
OH, BOY.
WE NEED TO IMPROVE PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION.
THAT'S A GIVEN.
WHAT CAN BE DONE?
WE MAY HAVE TO REDESIGN THE ROUTES.
WE MAY HAVE TO HAVE SMALLER VEHICLES THAT ARE THERE
MORE OFTEN, BUT MORE THAN ANYTHING WE HAVE
TO HAVE INTER-CONNECTABILITY.
YOU CAN'T EXPECT EVERYBODY TO GO DOWNTOWN AND THEN PAY
FOR ANOTHER TRANSFER TO GO WHEREVER THEY'RE GOING.
IT JUST ISN'T IS NOT, IS NOT SUITABLE FOR THOSE FOLKS
THAT NEED PUBLIC TRANSIT.
THANK YOU.
ALCOHOL CONTINUES TO BE INVOLVED IN A DISPROPORTIONATE
PERCENTAGE OF CRIME AND DISORDER.
WHAT CAN BE DONE TO REDUCE THE DAMAGE ALCOHOL DOES
TO OUR COMMUNITY?
YOU KNOW, WE'VE TRIED FOR YEARS VARIOUS THINGS.
USUALLY OUTLAWING PANHANDLING OR ROUSTING PEOPLE WHEN
THEY START TO CONGREGATE IN A PARTICULAR AREA,
BUT THAT ISN'T DEALING WITH THE PROBLEM.
THAT'S JUST MOVING IT FROM ONE LOCATION TO ANOTHER
UNTIL SOMEBODY ELSE COMPLAINS.
WE FIND WE HAVE DEATHS, WE HAVE HOMELESS ISSUES,
WE HAVE A LOT OF ISSUES THAT REVOLVE AROUND ALCOHOL.
WE NEED TREATMENT.
WE NEED HOUSING.
THOSE ARE PROBABLY THE FIRST AND FOREMOST THINGS,
BUT WE HAVE NOT TAKEN IT ON THE WAY IT NEEDS TO BE TAKEN.
EVERYBODY WHO PURCHASES ALCOHOL,
THEY MIGHT EVEN BE BUYING CIGARETTES,
OR EVEN SODA POP, OR EVEN A POWER DRINK
IN A LIQUOR STORE KNOWS YOU HAVE TO SHOW THEM AN ID CARD,
YOUR ID CARD, USUALLY A DRIVER'S LICENSE,
TO SEE IF IT HAS RED LINE THROUGH IT THAT YOU'RE
NOT ALLOWED TO PURCHASE.
DOES THAT PROGRAM WORK OR IS THAT JUST AN ANNOYANCE
TO THE AVERAGE CITIZEN?
WELL, IT, UM, IT WORKS WHEN YOU CATCH THOSE FOLKS
THAT HAVE RESTRICTIONS ON THEIR LICENSE,
BUT IF THEY KNOW THEY HAVE THOSE RESTRICTIONS
AND THEY STILL WANT TO PURCHASE ALCOHOL,
THEY'LL USE ANOTHER FORM OF ID AND SO IT'S NOT,
IT'S NOT A REAL EFFECTIVE MEASURE.
IT GETS THOSE FOLKS WHO HAVE RESTRICTIONS
AND JUST TRY TO PASS IT BY.
OKAY.
THE NUMBER OF STREET PEOPLE FLUCTUATES, BUT STREET PEOPLE,
HOMELESS STREET PEOPLE IN PARTICULAR,
ARE A PERMANENT PART OF THIS COMMUNITY.
HOW CAN WE REDUCE THE NUMBER OF STREET PEOPLE
AND THE FRICTION BETWEEN STREET PEOPLE
AND THE REST OF SOCIETY, THE REST OF US?
WELL, THE NUMBER ONE THING IS TREATMENT.
YOU KNOW, KARLUK MANOR WAS A HUGE PROBLEM BEFORE
IT WAS A ALCOHOL CENTER, ALCOHOL TREATMENT CENTER,
AND HOUSING FIRST CAME ALONG AND THEY,
THEY ACQUIRED THE PROPERTY.
I THINK HAS BEEN MILDLY SUCCESSFUL,
BUT IF YOU DON'T BREAK THE PATTERN SOMEHOW IT'S A PROBLEM.
AND AGAIN, IT'S AN ISSUE WE NEED TO DEAL WITH.
WHAT DO YOU LIKE BEST ABOUT ANCHORAGE?
I LOVE ANCHORAGE.
YOU KNOW, I WAS, I WAS IN NOAA CORPS.
I TRAVELED ALL OF THE STATE, OR ALL OVER THE COUNTRY
MOVING FREQUENTLY.
I GOT A CHANCE TO SEE OTHER PLACES.
ANCHORAGE, BEFORE I WAS WITH NOAA, I HADN'T BEEN HERE.
I SPENT A COUPLE WEEKS IN TRAVELED ALL OVER THE STATE.
I LIKE THE PEOPLE.
I CERTAINLY LIKE THE ENVIRONMENT.
I'M A WEST COAST GUY.
THIS IS A GREAT CITY.
IT'S GOT DIVERSITY.
IT'S GOT EVERYTHING YOU COULD WANT.
I RETIRED HERE FOR A REASON AND I LOVE IT.
WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO CHANGE ABOUT ANCHORAGE
WITHIN THE CONTEXT OF LOVING IT?
WELL, YOU KNOW, UNFORTUNATELY WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO GROW
AND WE MENTIONED SOME OF THE THINGS HERE TODAY
THAT ARE NEEDS.
THE ALCOHOL PROBLEM, THE TRANSPORTATION ISSUES.
THOSE ARE ALL THINGS THAT I CERTAINLY THINK NEEDS
TO BE DEALT WITH, BUT THEN WE'VE GOT
THE POSITIVE ATTRIBUTES AS WELL.
PARKS AND JUST GOOD PEOPLE.
ARE WE GONNA HAVE TROUBLE, IS TROUBLE AHEAD
WITH REDUCED FEDERAL AND STATE SPENDING?
YES.
WHEN WILL WE SEE THAT OR ARE WE SEEING ALREADY?
WE'RE SEEING IT RIGHT NOW.
AND WE'VE GOT OTHER PROBLEMS, YOU KNOW.
OUR SCHOOLS ARE STARVING TO DEATH IN TERMS OF RESOURCES,
AND WE'RE DOING DAMAGE TO THIS GENERATION OF KIDS.
WE GOTTA GET OFF THAT AND FUND, ADEQUATELY FUND EDUCATION.
SERIOUS PROBLEM.
OKAY.
IF YOU VISIT OUR LIBRARIES YOU WILL FIND
THEY ARE OFTEN CROWDED, BUT ARE WE APPROPRIATING,
ENOUGH MONEY, ARE WE PROVIDING ENOUGH RESOURCES
TO MEET THE NEEDS OF LIBRARY PATRONS?
WELL, YOU KNOW, LOUSSAC LIBRARY IN PARTICULAR,
HAS BEEN THE STEPCHILD MAYOR AFTER MAYOR AFTER MAYOR,
YEAR AFTER YEAR AFTER YEAR.
AND IT'S LITERALLY FALLING DOWN AROUND OUR HEADS.
IT DOES NOT HAVE ADEQUATE STAFFING,
IT DOES NOT HAVE ADEQUATE FUNDING,
AND THE SPACE IS IN DIRE NEED OF REPAIR.
WE JUST, I ADD IT INTO THE BUDGET ALONG
WITH SOME OTHER FOLKS, UPGRADING THE CONNECTIVITY
AND INCREASING SLIGHTLY SOME OF THE MATERIALS,
BUT IT'S THE CONSTRUCTION THAT WE ADDED IN AND HOPEFULLY
THIS YEAR WE'RE GOING TO BE ABLE TO DO SOME, SOME WORK.
BUT YOUR ANSWER TO YOUR QUESTION IS NO.
THERE'S ABOUT A MINUTE.
THERE HAVE BEEN A NUMBER OF POLICE SHOOTINGS
IN THE LAST YEAR.
IN FACT, THERE WAS ONE JUST THE OTHER DAY.
THESE ARE POLICE OFFICERS SHOT AND KILLED IN THE LINE OF DUTY.
THERE ARE SOME PEOPLE IN THE COMMUNITY THAT ARE CONCERNED
ABOUT HOW THIS IS HANDLED.
WHAT DO YOU THINK?
WELL, I THINK THE CHANGES THAT THEY INSTILLED
A NUMBER OF MONTHS AGO SLOWED THAT DOWN A BIT.
THEY'RE, YOU KNOW, THEY WERE PROTECTING LIFE
AND SO THEY'VE GOT TO PROTECT THEMSELVES,
BUT THERE ARE OTHER METHODS AND I THINK
THE POLICE DEPARTMENT HAS GOOD GUIDELINES NOW.
THERE ARE STILL GOING TO BE SOME NO MATTER WHAT
AND IT'S JUST UNFORTUNATE.
OKAY.
THANK YOU, INCUMBENT TIM STEELE.