Opinion: Bronson Administration and Assembly Members should put Partisanship Aside

Originally published February 18th, 2021 in the Anchorage Daily News. Please click here to see the original publication.

Anchorage Assembly chambers. (Erik Hill / ADN archive)

As former elected Anchorage Assembly members, we are both saddened by the current level of partisanship between the Assembly and Mayor Dave Bronson. As we watch, we are reminded of our public service on the Anchorage Assembly from 2007 to 2010. While many believed we would be unable to find common ground because of our political differences, we worked together by learning to trust each other and by focusing on what was best for our hometown.

We write this commentary as two Alaskans with very different political views who served together on the Assembly and frequently found ways to work together and get things done for the benefit of Anchorage. Civility towards our fellow Assembly members was all the watchword.

Our relationship began after the 2007 Anchorage Assembly elections. Midtown Anchorage elected Dan Coffey to his second term and West Anchorage elected Matt Claman to his first term. The Assembly unanimously elected Dan as Assembly Chair. Mark Begich was serving his second term as mayor. On the officially nonpartisan assembly, Dan was leader of the conservative “majority,” and the late Alan Tesche was the longest-serving member of the progressive “minority.”

Shortly after the election, we met to talk about our community and our respective roles on the Assembly. We discovered that we had friends in common, a shared interest in ice hockey and a commitment to helping move Anchorage forward in a positive way. We recognized that while neither of us had all the answers to Anchorage’s challenges, working with respect for each other would benefit our community for the next three years.

As chair of the Assembly, Dan worked to make sure everyone had the opportunity to speak at Assembly meetings and work sessions — making sure all voices were heard and all questions addressed. Matt and Dan often met and compared notes about important pending matters, determining whether there were enough votes to approve a particular ordinance and if the mayor supported that ordinance.

After a year with Dan as chair, the Anchorage voters elected a progressive “majority” to the Assembly in 2008. The Assembly unanimously elected Matt as our new chair. Despite the change in our positions, we continued to discuss important issues and to express our often diverse perspectives. We both remained committed to our personal political beliefs and to our respect for one another. We always tried to reach “common ground” and to ensure support for various important ordinances. These efforts frequently reduced divisive speeches and angry disagreements by members of the Assembly.

Our success in working together was grounded in always looking for a way to get to “yes,” a common interest in doing what was best for Anchorage even when we did not agree on all of the particulars, and a mutual trust of each other based on our first year of working together.

We each had only one vote on any action by the Assembly, and often talked about whether specific changes to proposed legislation would make it possible to pass the ordinance by a super-majority vote or even a unanimous vote. And those discussions sometimes involved the mayor, who had developed a reputation for rarely using his veto authority.

Listening and debating frequently led us to an understanding of each other’s views and positions. And when the Assembly made changes that increased support for an ordinance and reduced division so that it reflected the views of most Assembly members, we knew that it met our primary goal of passing legislation that was good for our community.

In the same way, during our work on the municipal budget, we regularly took the time to review contentious areas to find opportunities for give and take. Operating under the tax cap in Anchorage’s charter, we recognized that a small spending increase in one department required a spending cut in another department. Just as with municipal ordinances, we better served Anchorage when we passed a budget by a supermajority or unanimous vote.

The lessons we learned during our time on the Anchorage Assembly have served both of us well: reach out to those with whom you may not agree; listen and try to find common ground; treat everyone with civility and respect; and always remember that in facing our challenges, none of us have all of the answers.

Rep. Matt Claman, D-Anchorage, was elected to the state House of Representatives in 2014. He has served on the Anchorage Assembly and also as acting mayor of Anchorage.

Dan Coffey served two terms as chair of the Anchorage Assembly. He is a business owner, attorney and member of the Alaska Gasline Development Corporation board of directors.

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