Assembly Report for November 14, 2006

ASSEMBLY TINKERS WITH AND THEN POSTPONES ACTION ON NEW ETHICS CODE: The assembly plowed through a field of floor amendments to a new ethics code (AO2006-140) on Tuesday night and then deferred final action on the new code for one week pending further legal review. The code would outlaw so called "consulting contracts" between elected officials and private companies on municipal issues and prohibit those same officials from representing private interests before the Assembly, School Board and appointed boards. The code would bar members of the state legislature from representing or lobbying for private interests before the Assembly. The new code also contains more explicit definitions of "financial interests" which might disqualify a member’s participation in voting; standards governing gifts and gratuities, and procedures governing investigations conducted by the Board. A floor amendment adopted Tuesday night prohibits members from voting on matters where the body has found they have a "substantial financial interest" even though their disqualification makes it more difficult for developers to muster the eight votes necessary to pass a protested rezoning action. This issue arose in the recent rezoning in east Anchorage requested by Wal-Mart when the Assembly ruled on conflicts involving two members and the developer needed eight votes to secure passage of the controversial rezoning.

When the code comes before the Assembly again on November 21st, the Assembly will take up the controversial issue of whether the code should bar the mayor from seeking higher office while serving as mayor. The draft now before the Assembly contains that new prohibition; administration officials have promised a fight if that language is enacted by the Assembly. Curiously, nobody has identified another local government with the same prohibition nor has anyone explained why the same prohibition should not apply to assembly members who, while in office, run for mayor or the state legislature.

ACTION ON FUR RONDY RESOLUTION DELAYED: Spurring new negotiations between the Anchorage Convention and Visitor’s Bureau and new operators of Fur Rondy, the Assembly postponed until December 12, 2006 action on a resolution requiring the ACVB to contribute $85,000 per year to the ailing festival. AR 2006-290(S) would deem "appropriate" an allocation of $85,000 from ACVB’s portion of bed tax revenues, beginning in 2008. The ACVB receives about $5.8M in bed tax revenues each year for tourism promotion. The resolution also requires Rondy to prepare an annual marketing and operations plan for submission to the Assembly and to the ACVB before expenditures of bed tax revenues for the Festival. The plan must address reduction of debt incurred by Rondy from prior festivals. The resolution is sponsored by Assembly members Fairclough, Tesche, Trani, Stout, and Bauer.

REMINDER: COMMUNITY MEETING ON A VISION FOR YOUTH FOR NOV. 27th: 13 local churches will hold a community meeting on Monday, November 27th to present a comprehensive vision for Anchorage’s youth to Mayor Mark Begich, School Superintendent Carol Comeau, and Police Chief Rob Huen. The meeting will take place at St. Anthony’s Catholic church on 825 S. Klevin St. in east Anchorage and begins at 7:p.m. Given the issues of youth violence and gangs in neighborhoods, a compassionate and clear vision for our youth is urgently needed in Anchorage. This public meeting is sponsored by Anchorage Faith & Action Congregations Together (AFACT) a community wide religious group consisting of several thousand Anchorage residents who are members of Catholic, Lutheran, Methodist, CME, and non-denominational churches.