Embattled Bronson plans to travel to Fairbanks to reveal how to 'save' Alaska
Anchorage Mayor Dave Bronson will try to escape the implosion of his administration for one night in late February to give a speech to Fairbanks Republicans titled “Saving Alaska, One Step at a Time.”
He wouldn’t dare give this speech in Anchorage, where it is a Mayor, Save Thyself situation. But there is little to no awareness in Fairbanks of what is happening in the big city.
With all he’s done to “save” Anchorage—where the streets are paved with snow—it’s hard to imagine what he will tell Fairbanksans expecting to hear from a political savior.
Tales of turmoil and a political salvage operation are not what Alaska needs, but that’s what Bronson has to offer.
He certainly hasn’t had anything of substance to say since he fired former Municipal Manager Amy Demboski in December and she replied with an 11-page letter packed with allegations of corruption and unethical behavior, ranging from contract violations to the distribution of cookies shaped like penises. Bronson claims he can’t comment for legal reasons, even when there are no legal reasons.
We can thank Alaska Public Media and the Anchorage Daily News for their excellent reporting uncovering what’s gone wrong inside the Bronson administration.
Niki Tshibaka, the head of human resources under Bronson, left his job Monday, complaining about a toxic, hostile and demoralizing work environment.
“Tshibaka’s departure is the latest in a series of resignations and firings among top city officials. The highest profile departure was just two months ago, when Bronson fired then-Municipal Manager Amy Demboski. Through an attorney, Demboski alleged numerous illegal, misogynistic and unethical acts in an 11-page letter. She warned that she may sue over wrongful termination and urged the administration to settle out of court,” Alaska Public Media reported.
Tshibaka, the husband of former Senate candidate Kelly Tshibaka, is a former lawyer and former church pastor. He revealed in his letter that he did not investigate the phony resume of former health director Joe Gerace, because an unnamed superior directed him to approve it in one day. Tshibaka’s excuse is the dubious claim that previous HR directors didn’t check out the background of applicants either, so Tshibaka did nothing wrong.
Tshibaka had no doubts or questions about Gerace last year, when he claimed that Gerace was a victim of “pure character assassination.” And Demboski raised no public doubts or questions about Bronson’s performance until after she was fired.
On Tuesday, the Anchorage Daily News and ProPublica published a damning report of how Bronson and his allies have operated. A big part of the piece is how businessman and municipal contractor Larry Baker gained enormous influence.
“Demboski, (fired real estate director Christina) Hendrickson and other City Hall employees speaking on the condition of anonymity to protect their jobs allege that the mayor allowed Baker to further his self-interests using the power of City Hall. Among the allegations is that Baker and the mayor attempted to use their influence to protect a man accused of domestic violence and pressured (maintenance director Saxton) Shearer to sign off on millions of dollars of construction work in violation of city code,” the Anchorage Daily News reported.
“Many City Hall workers have continued to describe an ongoing atmosphere of low morale, fear and suspicion in the top levels of Anchorage government,” the newspaper reported.
Bronson should forget about saving the state. Whether he survives the growing political scandal is more to the point.
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