By SUZANNE DOWNING
When Anchorage voters elected Suzanne LaFrance, snow removal has been a driving force that was central to her campaign message. She and her allies repeatedly accused former mayor Dave Bronson of incompetence during Anchorage’s record snowfall winter, holding up icy streets and delayed plowing as proof that Bronson’s City Hall had failed residents.
Now, with the first major snowfall of 2026 bearing down on the city, the issue has come full circle.
As snow accumulated Tuesday evening, drivers across Anchorage reported streets that were slick, rutted, and in some cases impassable. Vehicles slid through intersections, cars became stuck on neighborhood roads, and traffic slowed to a crawl in multiple parts of the city. For many residents, the scene looked uncomfortably familiar, and not in the way LaFrance promised it would.
During Bronson’s term, Anchorage experienced historic snowfall totals that overwhelmed both equipment and crews. The city faced prolonged cleanup timelines, and residents voiced frustration through letters to the editor, social media campaigns, and organized criticism.
Much of that backlash, however, went beyond routine civic complaint. Liberal blogs, activist groups, and political nonprofits, including 907 Initiative, a dark money group openly hostile to Bronson and Republican leadership, amplified the snow issue as a symbol of broader political failure.
The intensity of the criticism crossed the line from legitimate concern to political opportunism. Snowplowing became a cudgel in an already polarized city, especially after Bronson’s narrow victory in the 2021 mayoral election. The message was clear: snow was leverage.
LaFrance was very much part of that narrative. She ran as the candidate who would “fix” Anchorage’s winter response, portraying the problem as one of leadership rather than weather, staffing, or logistics.
LaFrance’s first winter in office offered little chance to prove that claim. Snowfall was light, and the city largely avoided the kind of conditions that had defined Bronson’s tenure. There were no record storms, no prolonged cleanup, and no stress test of the system.
That changed this week.
With the first heavy snow of 2026, Anchorage residents are once again asking familiar questions: Where are the plows? Why are streets still icy? Why does it feel like we’ve been here before?
The difference now is political ownership.
LaFrance and her supporters were quick to declare Bronson incompetent when snow removal fell short under extraordinary conditions. They framed the issue as mismanagement rather than misfortune, and they did so loudly and repeatedly. Now? It’s not even a record-breaking snowstorm, but the streets have piled up.
Snow removal is one of the most basic expectations Anchorage residents have of their local government. Campaigns are built on it, elections are fought over it, and political careers rise and fall with it. Declaring a predecessor unfit over snow means accepting the same scrutiny when conditions turn difficult. Unless you’re the 907 Initiative, in which case it’s … crickets.
14 thoughts on “Suzanne LaFrance’s snow removal failure”
I noticed. I thought the assembly was funding more snow equipment so they could show off how superior they are to the previous mayor who served during record snow falls. Where do they really spend the money they extract from us?
To be honest these last two days of snowfall as much as it was. It’s not nearly as much as poor Bronson was saddled with. I remember those three long years of just what was weeks long of snowfall that not only was a lot but also compacted into heavy wet snow instead of colder and lighter powder fluff snow. His snow didnt stop falling! They were unusual. This snowfall isn’t unusual yet unless we get more days that turn into a week long of snowfall. The roads today are better than those three years. It can be Better!!!
Mayor Lafrance’s instead of bolstering Government employees salaries and benefits and hiring new employees like executives who would be paid anywhere 70,000-100,000 she probably should had put that money into the muni maintenance and service equipment and then she’d be more ahead of these two days of snowfall if it was more prepared. The state of Alaska government needs to make adjustments in its budget for DOT and more equipment and employees to stay ahead of future snowfalls too (taking money away from non profits, education, and state employees to put it toward DOT and roads) Bronson did have problems with the state of Alaska’s shortage of employees and equipment from their lack of service to do more passes over its Anchorage roads that Bronson had to pull Muni maintenance employees to run passes over muni-state maintained roads, and they were also being paid overtime doing double work clearing state-muni roads and muni roads.
As long as the schools remain open, viva LaFrance will continue. When the parents of the districts own children are forced to care for their offspring, the complaints will return.
It is early in our snow season.
But, you see, if she had handled the snow removal well, she could not make the forthcoming argument that Anchorage has seen record snowfall in recent years, likely due to the climate crisis, and we need that 3% sales tax to clear your roads…
I’d agree if our Mayor was capable of strategic thinking, but alas, she probably had the shoe store mark an L on her left shoe 👞 and an R on her right shoe 👠 to help with that ongoing challenge!
Where’s TUCK (Beltramy’s snow-plow guy)?!?!
Bronson’s failure was related to a slow response several days after a snow event. It took weeks after a snow event for his crew to get it done. LaFrance’s response to this most recent snow event is still to be determined, but promising so far. It also helps that the State of Alaska DOT figured their stuff out, and that the Muni didn’t have to come save them.
Overall, the roads have been fine. It is a stretch to fall it a failure.
Yes, it does help when the State DOT is willing to work with an Administration. . . .there were so many entrenched swamp creatures during Bronson’s term, and those same persons are ready and willing to carry water for the current Admin.
Not to worry – Turnagain and fashionable Leftist neighborhoods will have the snow cleared first and very precisely. Republican/conservative neighborhoods will be ignored until February. If it snows again, the schedule will be abandoned to start anew with Turnagain and the other fashionable Leftist neighborhoods. Republican/conservative neighborhoods will be deferred to March.
We citizens and taxpayers can only pray that Mother Nature (not “climate change”) overwhelms the LaSanFrancisco regime with massive amounts of snowfall. That will successfully end her laughable campaign argument of incompetence within the Bronson administration. Touche and karma all in one.
But at least all the homeless are safe and sound cozy and warm in Mark Begich Manor thanks to her loyalty to her party leader and his generous campaign donations which can all be summed up in a few words….a VERY happy ending!
Money saved on snow removal is more money gifted to their campaign donors through housing the street people in their remodeled “winter havens for the campers.”
I thought she was going to get her teeth into it…..
LaFrance is a failure in many more ways than snow removal. Do not vote for the sales tax!