By Suzanne Downing 
As Anchorage heads into winter with persistent street dwellers, deadly drug use, pedestrian deaths, and rising violent crime, the Anchorage Assembly has found time for another priority: redesigning the city’s official seal.
Assembly Chair Chris Constant introduced AO 2025-135(S), an ordinance to swap out the city’s longstanding 1975 emblem of an anchor, sail, airplane, and sun for one of five nearly identical, almost indistinguishable new options, each featuring a simplified anchor-and-sun motif, some inspired by Native-style quillwork. One of the five choices is to simply keep the current municipal seal.
The move comes as part of the city’s 50th anniversary rebranding project. The Municipality partnered in 2025 with the Anchorage Park Foundation to commission local Dena’ina artist Sebastian Garber to create graphic elements for downtown pedestrian wayfinding and anniversary materials. Those graphics, officials say, informed the five proposed seal options now headed for public comment.
Anchorage’s original seal was designed in 1975 by local artist and UAA art professor Joan Kimura, widely regarded as one of the pioneers of contemporary art in Alaska.
Under Constant’s proposal, if the Assembly selects a new design, implementation would be phased in over time “to minimize costs,” with the municipal clerk ordering a new legal seal but other uses replaced only as needed. The public is invited to weigh in through an anonymous online survey ahead of the December 16 public hearing, and the results will be provided to Assembly members before they vote.
Residents will have the opportunity to testify in person during the Dec. 16 Regular Assembly Meeting at the Loussac Library, or sign up by 5 pm on December 15 to testify by phone. Written comments and emails to Assembly members will also be entered into the record.
With municipal budgets at record highs and major urban-core issues still unresolved, the debate over a cosmetic redesign is bound to spark questions about the Assembly’s priorities. But unless public sentiment overwhelms the process, the seal discussion will move forward, anchor and all.
Well. At least the leftists Assembly members are TRYING to move forward in life
They’d make longer forward leaps IF their little voter group right size government spending to start spending at least 7-10 million each year for the next 7 years repaving and redesigning neighborhood streets so neighbors have safer streets to drive over, walk, and bicycle.
A new seal is nice little update
But, Anchorage neighbors will like to see budget money they already been taxed going into their neighborhood streets without having to vote on a bond to do the work while being double taxed.
*I did participate and voted option B
If Option A included the little boat and plane I would had chosen for A
The darker blue made a stronger Accent making it more complete than Option B without it
it doesn’t need to be changed.
Ditto!
So, the Mayor and ASSembly don’t have anything better to do? I’m with JH, but if they DO change it, option D is a better choice. The pattern around the circle looks like a chain, appropriate to the bondage the jerks are subjecting this community to. ⚓🔗⛓️⛓️⚓
The ASSembly doesn’t want anyone’s input, they have already decided on option “A” above.
Go to muni.org/ourseal it’s pretty obvious.
“Dena’ina artist… informed the five proposed seal options…” No surprise here. Why a Dena’ina artist?? Notice that there are two choices that eliminate that filthy colonizer Captain Cook’s boat and, one that diminishes it to the point that it’s nearly invisible. I’m with Hancock and Damien in that there’s NO need to change it. I’m assuming that we’d all be sickened if we heard the dollar amount that they’ve paid Mr Garber for what he’s done to-date. Or, maybe they’ll kick a colonizer off of Dena’ina land and compensate him with said property.
Just did a search on the artist(?) and, IMHO, it wreaks of 8A. He’s part of an indigenous graphics company with a website that has not a single link to click on. One look at the client list should give one pause. Maybe there are young local artists (of all colors) that could have benefited by being allowed to participate.
https://ultraprimary.studio/
In In what alien language is the gibberish around the outside of the circle in Options A and B?
.
I guess our ass-embly has nothing better to do, having achieved tax-and-spend leftist utopia.
I’d like to see a combination of options A and B, the dark blue outer ring is, to me, more aesthetically appealing, but keeping the ship and airplane in the logo better visually acknowledges Anchorage’s place as a major hub for sea cargo and air cargo. Alaska lives, breathes, and dies by the ports, and Anchorage has both the main seaport and the main cargo airport. It’s a major economic and social part of the city.
I’m truly surprised there isn’t an option with a bicyclist waving a rainbow flag, with the stolen land acknowledgement inscribed in the background.
LOL, Agree.
Let’s give Constant what he really wants: his derrière on the seal, so we never forget how much $&#! he dumped on the citizens of Anchorage during his time on the ASSembly.
The seal should probably have a picture of Lafrance and Constant throwing money down a $500,000 toilet to represent their INCOMPETENCE, ideas, and accomplishments.
Could be worse. I was expecting a casino and a homeless encampment. Cheers –
Oh why not, if Peter the Pied Piper on the Kenai can do it, the real RINO ruling over our Borough. that’s his prelude while awaiting for the right moment to get in the Governors race. Just saying, Liberty Ed
Deck chairs on the Titanic come to mind…….
A nice logo underneath could include “Alaska’s Homeless Capital” to commemorate the ASSemblies efforts since our new founder Berky and his mottly crew arrived from the land of “fruits and nuts”.
LMAO, Sad but true.
To really represent the MOA, it should have a rottingcorpse with a,syringe in the arm lying on a,park bench
Here is the survey: https://www.muni.org/ourseal
Option C is no change. You also can leave a message for the stupid administration.