By PAUL BAUER
My message to the Eaglexit detachment effort is this:
Eagle River and Chugiak, like many communities, face the decision of whether to remain under the control of a larger, more liberal entity, the Municipality of Anchorage, or to forge its own path, independent and strong, with the potential for greater freedom and self-determination in the Mat-Su Valley.
Just like fighting a fierce battle, we don’t sit back and allow the weight of bureaucracy and liberal agendas to crush our spirit. We fight for what we believe in. We use every resource at our disposal, our minds, our wills, our imaginations. We stand firmly on the belief that we deserve a government that reflects our values, not one that imposes ideologies foreign to our community.
Just as cancer spreads when not addressed, the overreach of Anchorage’s policies has infected our local way of life. Allowing this to continue unchecked would mean the inevitable erosion of our values, our freedoms, and the community we hold dear. The question isn’t whether it will stop on its own; it won’t. It will only grow stronger, faster, and more intrusive. We must act.
Eagle River must set obstacles in its path to prevent Anchorage’s liberal control from continuing to dictate our future. Just as cancer needs to be fought from within, so does our fight for independence. With our fortitude, creativity, and unity, we build our mechanisms for freedom. We stand strong in the face of the challenge, refusing to surrender.
Leaving the Municipality of Anchorage for the Mat-Su Valley isn’t about running away, it’s about standing on your ground and taking a stand against the cancer of overreach and liberal control. This is our fight, confronting the problem head-on and refusing to let it grow any stronger.
Just as you fight cancer by putting obstacles in its way, we fight the overreach of Anchorage by standing firm in our values, in our freedom, and in our right to determine our own future.
This battle requires courage, fortitude, and unity. You are not just defending Eagle River; you are fighting for the future of every community that refuses to surrender. Let’s stand together and fight the cancer that threatens to spread, for our homes, our children, and the future we want to build.
Stay firm, stay strong, stay, and fight!
Paul A Bauer Jr. describes himself as a potential candidate for lieutenant governor.
9 thoughts on “Paul Bauer: Eagle River and Chugiak must fight for what we believe in”
“…..self-determination in the Mat-Su Valley.” ??
“Leaving the Municipality of Anchorage for the Mat-Su Valley isn’t about running away,….”???
Mr. Bauer while this is a nice and inspiring article, you are clearly sending mix messages. On the one hand you speak of freedom from the Municipality, while at the same time you mention the Mat-Su several times, hinting the Annex Now plan. That’s not freedom for our community, that is simply swapping one overlord for another. Please clarify.
“Eagle River must set obstacles in its path to prevent Anchorage’s liberal control from continuing to dictate our future”
Big proclamation here, but HOW exactly do you envision “putting obstacles” in the muni’s path in practicality.
As a firm supporter of Eaglexit, I believe detachment from the Municipality to form our own borough will give us the control and sanity this community deserves and requires for its prosperity.
I am HIGHLY suspicious of these Johnny-come-latelys, like Ken McCarty and now Paul Bauer, pushing their sudden and out-of-the-blue, inorganic Mat-Su annexation scheme for Eagle River and Chugiak, JUST AS the Eaglexit movement is at a critical juncture of ever-more likely success. It all seems expressly designed to undermine the Eaglexit movement, and their timing could not be more suspiciously coincidental. Beware of wolves in sheeps’ clothing.
I am cautiously optimistic about the desire to escape from Anchorage ASSembly.
However when election time rolls around voters somehow religiously send Kelly Merrick to Juneau to represent them.
If the voters of their new “Borough” elect her (or her union boss) or similar like minded leaders to forge their own government they may as well stick to the Marxist Constant/Lafrance team.
The grass may not always be greener by trading one Democrat for another.
Makes sense when you look at it like the Anchorage Assembly and the Mayor desperately trying to derail Eaglexit
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…and asking (hiring?) a kindly, grandfatherly person to help them do it. Who could say NO! to a friendly face like his?
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Gently stir in dashes of obfuscation, distraction, uncertainty, Eaglexit should fail, right?
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Start with a lie: “Eagle River and Chugiak…face the decision of whether to remain under the control of a larger, more liberal entity, the Municipality of Anchorage, or to forge its own path…with the potential for greater freedom and self-determination in the Mat-Su Valley.”
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That’s no “decision”. That’s a false choice, a false dichotomy, carefully crafted to distract voters from the real choice: splitting from Anchorage and starting their own fine, upstanding community
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…where library porn won’t be a problem like it is in the Mat-Su “Valley”
…where lack of local law enforcement won’t be a problem like it is for 86% of Mat-Su Borough’s residents.
(“Should the Mat-Su do more to protect its residents?” by “Anchorage Daily News” editorial board, January 27, 2024)
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“Eagle River must set obstacles in its path” What does that even mean? The more you say it, the stupider it sounds, so don’t say it too often.
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What’s the cancer shtick really about? Eaglexit has the cancer cure. For Paul and others who haven’t noticed for the last 7 years, it’s the home-grown program to cut out the Anchorage tumor and grow a fine, upstanding community. It never was about trading one tumor site for another.
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This late-blooming collection of random, campaign-like catchwords looks more like a clumsy attempt to impress important people with Candidate Bauer’s ability to derail Eaglexit singlehandedly.
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Keep trying, Candidate. Surely the Establishment has some place for talent of this magnitude.
Spot on Jefferson. I don’t know Bauer, but when it comes to McCarty, I wouldn’t trust him any farther than I could throw him.
Sounds like he’s thinking of relocating from Anchorage to Eagleriver-Chugiak when it does split away and rebranding himself for a future seat in the new Eagleriver-Chugiak, I wouldn’t be surprised
There will be a lot more Anchorage Republicans, Conservatives, and christian-in-name-only who’ll split Anchorage whenever Eagleriver-Chugiak split is official
Eagleriver-Chugiak joining the Matsu Borough won’t be much of a change. That borough board are full of government dependent liberals and eagleriver-Chugiak will just their government dependency by more money to spend on matsu government and non profits
Sounds like he’s thinking of relocating from Anchorage to Eagleriver-Chugiak when it does split away and rebranding himself for a future seat in the new Eagleriver-Chugiak, I wouldn’t be surprised
There will be a lot more Anchorage Republicans, Conservatives, and christian-in-name-only who’ll split Anchorage whenever Eagleriver-Chugiak split is official
Eagleriver-Chugiak joining the Matsu Borough won’t be much of a change. That borough board are full of government dependent liberals and eagleriver-Chugiak will just those government dependents happy by contributing more money to spend on matsu government and non profits
I find it interesting the opposition to joining MSB. Wonder how many of the vocal few have lived in the MSB. Ask folks in Big Lake, Eureka, Caswell, etc if they find the MSB government to be as oppressive and liberal as the Anchorage Uniparty…having spent recent years in BL after decade in Anchorage, my personal knowledge is that it’s is far preferable (when evaluating freedom from agendas and personal determination) to live in the MSB than in Anchorage
CRL, I agree with your assessment that living under the MSB would most likely be preferable compared to the Municipality, IF that were the ONLY choice. However it is not. The original plan and the one I believe CH/ER should pursue is to form their own governmental entity, unique to the residents, who live here.
What troubles me about the CH/ER area joining MSB are the statements you find on the Annex Now site, regarding things like the annexation would increase tax revenue for MSB projects, the almost cavalier attitude towards municipal bond debt for CH/ER residents and the considerable lack of engagement with or input from the very residents they wish to convince to join them. The site lists ALL the advantages MSB residents will gain, but not really anything concrete for those leaving the Municipality. Those indicators raise red flags for me.
I am not one to simply say “anything is better than the Muni”. When we go down this path, it needs to be for the right reasons and with long term intent and purpose. MSB may be a decent fit, but so far the Annex Now people have not made an effort to make it a mutual goal for both parties. It seems more like a hostile take-over attempt considering the advertised unilateral vote in the MSB assembly to pursue annexation and the lack of public engagement in the affected area.