Anchorage Mayor Bronson remains mum on accusations of unethical, unlawful actions

Anchorage Mayor Dave Bronson remained silent Tuesday a couple of slew of allegations made towards his administration. 

Bronson publicly addressed the Anchorage Meeting Tuesday night time, the primary common Meeting assembly since quite a few allegations of unethical and illegal actions have been made towards the mayor in a scathing letter from former Municipal Supervisor Amy Demboski. Bronson fired Demboski final month. 

Bronson’s report back to the Meeting was pretty brief — just below two minutes. He touched on the newest batch of graduates from town’s firefighter academy, in addition to the upcoming Anchorage Financial and Improvement Company’s financial forecast luncheon. 

Absent from his remarks was a response to the allegations in Demboski’s letter, which embody improper contracting and different “illegal and unethical actions utilizing municipal assets.”

Throughout her report, Meeting chair Suzanne LaFrance mentioned the Meeting taking the unprecedented step to offer itself subpoena powers to get data on one other controversial side of Bronson’s tenure: the hiring of former well being director Joe Gerace.

Gerace resigned shortly earlier than Alaska Public Media and American Public Media revealed an article revealing that Gerace had lied about his training, navy and medical credentials. LaFrance on Tuesday subpoenaed Anchorage Human Assets Director Niki Tshibaka to look later throughout their assembly, in a closed-door session, to debate his function in vetting, hiring and terminating Gerace. 

On the finish of her report, LaFrance turned her consideration to the mayor. 

“Since this challenge is so severe, I wished to increase to you a chance for a second of privilege to answer our neighborhood concerning the rising considerations of economic and employment mismanagement, in addition to the outcomes of the Gerace investigation,” LaFrance mentioned. “If you want to talk to that now, the ground is yours.”

Bronson responded to the considerations surrounding Gerace by saying that, by legislation, town can not disclose human assets data. He didn’t touch upon the allegations in Demboski’s letter. 

After Bronson’s response, LaFrance reiterated that there was a “standing invitation” for him to talk on the opposite allegations, “must you change your thoughts and determine to deal with the neighborhood concerning different allegations, particularly regarding monetary points.” 

Bronson left the assembly about an hour later.

RELATED: Subpoena energy clears the best way for administration to temporary Anchorage Meeting on Joe Gerace investigation

Bronson’s administration has beforehand declined to reply questions on Demboski’s allegations, citing the recommendation of the municipal lawyer’s workplace. The Meeting has enacted a number of emergency ordinances in response to the allegations, together with clarifying the ombudsman’s accessa to personnel recordsdata for investigations in addition to requiring that each one metropolis contracts bigger than $10,000 be put earlier than the physique. 

Bronson’s administration can be beneath hearth about surveillance footage. A number of metropolis workers have accused the administration of monitoring the footage to see who’s visiting the ombudsman and Anchorage Meeting. The administration says it’s investigating, and the matter has been turned over to the municipal prosecutor’s workplace.

In the meantime, the administration introduced one other management shakeup Tuesday night: Appearing Municipal Legal professional Blair Christensen is resigning, and her final day is Feb. 8. Metropolis officers mentioned Christensen was leaving to pursue one other job alternative. Bronson’s first municipal lawyer, Patrick Bergt, resigned as town’s high lawyer in June and the Meeting this fall rejected the mayor’s choose to switch him, Mario Hen.