By ALEX GIMARC
The Assembly majority has long cast its baleful eyes on revenue from an increasingly array of sources. One of these has been the Eklutna tribe, which is why the Assembly started government-to-government relations with a tribe with no known resources consisting of fewer than 500 people.
It is also why they quickly and quietly supported establishment of the Eklutna casino operation. And in my opinion, it is why they are mucking around with the Eklutna dam and power station.
The Alaska Story reported Nov 30 that the Assembly offered AR 2025-360, a resolution to give itself another year to reach an agreement for future water supply to Anchorage. Mayor LaFrance got it removed from the agenda for the Dec 2 meeting.
A review of where we are in the festivities is in order.
The current status of the Eklutna dam, power station, and water supply was set by Governor Dunleavy Oct 2, 2024 in his Eklutna River Fish & Wildlife Program. As I noted a year ago, the Municipality and Assembly lost their voting rights Oct 30, 2019 on the Eklutna Hydro Project Operating Committee by virtue of the sale of ML&P to Chugach Electric Association. The Regulatory Commission of Alaska confirmed that Nov 14, 2024.
Today, only Chugach and Matanuska Electric Association are voting members of the Committee. AWWU is a customer for water whose needs must be satisfied. While the Municipality is mentioned in the Dunleavy Program document, the Anchorage Assembly never is. They are cut out of the decision-making process completely.
The question why the Assembly is diddling with updating the water supply agreement is important, and as neither they nor the mayor are saying anything about the rationale behind the proposed ordinance, we are only left with speculation as to why. Given the war this crowd has waged on taxpayers in this town for the last decade, speculation is not only warranted and deserved, but the most prudent course of action for any taxpayer.
My best guess is they want to kick the can down the road a year, hope for a Democrat or a sufficiently agreeable Bill Walker-type Republican clone like Click Bishop to be elected governor, withdraw Dunleavy’s project plan in order to allow them to get their grubby little fingers back into the Eklutna dam, electrical generation, and water supply.
There are a few other oddities. One is that AO 2024-123(S), which was mentioned in the AR 2025-360, doesn’t show up anywhere in a search of Assembly documents.
While it might be the most recent version of a proposed water supply agreement, it is not available for public scrutiny. Request for additional information from the Municipal Clerk has gone unanswered. Also unanswered was a question to Mayor LaFrance’s office for an explanation why she pulled AR 2025-360 from the Dec 2 agenda.
If we trusted this Assembly and Mayor, it would be one thing. But they have given us no reason to trust anything they do and haven’t since constructing their veto-proof majority under disgraced Democrat Mayor Ethan Berkowitz eight long years ago.
Mayor LaFrance was in the fat middle of that mess for six solid years starting in 2017. From the irresponsible Covid response to actively obstructing citizen testimony during Assembly meetings, to growing the homelessness problem here in Anchorage, lining their pockets and those of their supporters with public funds in the process, and most recently to their attempt to raise taxes on everything that moves in clear violation of the tax cap, they tell us every day who and what they are, along with the contempt they hold all of us.
And now they want their hands on the water source for Anchorage, Eklutna Lake.
President Reagan’s approach to dealing with the Soviets was to trust but verify. As we cannot trust this Assembly or mayor, we might as well verify what they are doing and why, never forgetting that in the modern world public money only exists to line the pockets of democrats and their supporters.
The only good thing I can say about this crowd is that like the Soviets, the CCP, or the Minnesota Somali fraudsters, they are predictable. This is the future they have in mind for Eklutna and for the citizens of Anchorage.
Alex Gimarc lives in Anchorage since retiring from the military in 1997. His interests include science and technology, environment, energy, economics, military affairs, fishing and disabilities policies. His weekly column “Interesting Items” is a summary of news stories with substantive Alaska-themed topics. He was a small business owner and Information Technology professional.
2 thoughts on “Alex Gimarc: Anchorage Assembly and LaFrance machinations on Eklutna remind us to trust, but verify”
We need more anchorage residents like Alex starting their political campaigns from sitting on neighborhood councils
When 100’s can show up for one night at an assembly meeting then I know they can show up to their community council’s monthly meeting with eventually some finding their way in an officer’s position
Did you show up to the assembly meeting, Tina?
You seem to have an opinion on everything and seemingly endless generalizations, many not necessarily based in fact.
It should further be noted that the Birchwood CC was not even notified or had ANY input when the tribe put up that casino. In my opinion, these days CCs are nice window dressing for the assembly, while they are without any power or teeth to make their community’s needs impact the decisions the assembly will make.