Fairbanks withdraws from municipal league—the first of many right-wing grandstanding ploys

It makes no sense for the Fairbanks North Star Borough to withdraw from the statewide organization that represents the interests of Alaska’s local governments, the Alaska Municipal League.

It’s one of the first of many grandstanding ploys likely to come from the five-member right-wing majority that controls the assembly—Tammie Wilson, Barbara Haney, Aaron Lojewski, Jimi Cash and Brett Rotermund.

Savannah Fletcher, Kristan Kelly, David Guttenberg and Mindy O’Neall voted to stay in AML, which has about 165 members statewide. This will make Fairbanks the only sizable community in Alaska that is not part of the league.

Wilson and Haney, both state employees, introduced the resolution. This is reminiscent of Wilson’s time in the Legislature and her blizzard of budget amendments, when she pretended to know the cost of everything and appeared to know the value of nothing. The AML dues are about $40,000.

What is the value of having local governments cooperate to improve life in Alaska? Don’t ask Wilson or Haney.

The borough will lose its seat at the table, says Nils Andreassen, executive director of the league.

“Unfortunately, the borough’s residents won’t be represented. Being part of that process is critical, in my mind, to working toward benefits to a community’s businesses, families, schools, etc. The borough won’t be in a position to advocate for any of these, while AML tackles public safety, public education, infrastructure, air and water quality and economic development.”

Wilson and Haney claimed that AML “works against the interest of the residents of the Fairbanks North Star Borough,” which is absurd.

AML and its members have worked for a sustainable fiscal plan. This is essential for all local governments and school districts in Alaska, which is something that the assembly majority doesn’t understand.

Wilson opposed a fiscal plan during her years in the Legislature and now she works for Dunleavy, who has been the biggest roadblock in state government to creating a more solid financial future for Alaska. Haney works for Rep. Mike Prax, another opponent of creating a sustainable state fiscal plan.

It wasn’t that long ago that Dunleavy wanted to take hundreds of millions from Alaska's local governments and to cut school funding by hundreds of millions, plans that required pushback from local governments.

There is also the matter of local officials in Fairbanks learning how to do a better job by seeing how leaders in other communities cope with similar challenges. Because of the right-wing assembly, Fairbanks is giving up a lot with little to show for it.