Two Mayor Sullivan rubber-stamp candidates showed up, a handful of Fagan loyalists, and stand-ins Jim Lottsfeldt, Ethan Berkowitz, and “Stuper Dave” Stieren as last minute replacements in what was supposed to be an Anchorage Assembly candidate forum. Fagan explained that the no-show candidates all backed out at the last minute. However, word is that at least a couple of them never confirmed their attendance in the first place. And why would they really? It would have shaped up as a typical Fagan “assault the liberal” candidates fiasco. As it was, the two most articulate participants by a mile were Berkowitz and Lottsfeldt. The two “real” candidates were no match intellectually for Berkowitz or Little Jimmy.
Trombley’s Yogurt analogy belies an apparent lack of understanding of how the gubmint has subsidized the dairy industry since the 1920s. Clary’s big free market idea is to privatize the city’s green house, which I’m sure will save the city...uh... tens of dollars...maybe.
Really? That’s all you guys got? Wow. Talk about underwhelming. Not only that, Trombley’s constant interrupting of Berkowitz’ points about how the private banking industry has basically ruined our economy was replete with his example of how Washington has a $14 trillion deficit, which incidentally Adam, was mostly created by the “conservative” previous president by massive tax cuts to the rich and a couple of high priced wars. Trombley’s answer? Let businesses make a profit. ??? I’m still not sure how business profits solves the municipality’s challenges.
If you decide to take on a very articulate lawyer who happened to be the state house minority leader for ten years you better do your research, especially when challenging him on a legal assertion. Trombley seemed to contend that passage of the health care bill was an indisputable violation of the Constitution. However, the common logic and Supreme Court precedents seem to indicate that contention is, at the very least, disputable. When Berkowitz pointed out that Trombley was entitled to his opinion, Trombley blew a gasket. The mere failure to acknowledge a contrary opinion was a telling example of a logical shortcoming in Trombley’s rational reasoning, a troubling trait for someone who aspires to run our city.
Probably the most disturbing ordeal of the entire debacle was near the end when Trombley’s big brother shouted down Berkowitz from the back of the room and told him to shut it so Adam could talk. The result? Berkowitz and Lottsfeldt simply walked off the stage. Lousy moderating Dan.
The irony is that throughout the event Trombley and Clary had very little to say and almost no substantive details as to how they would solve city issues when asked direct questions, despite Berkowitz and Lottsfeldt often deferring to the two candidates before piping up themselves, though Trombley on several occasions took liberty to interrupt Berkowitz, though rarely (actually never) faring well against the seasoned politician.
To Fagan’s credit, he was pissed about the
outburst by the other Trombley and made it known later in the afternoon on his show. Now this is the first time I have heard either of these candidates speak but I’ve got to tell you, my 18 year old high school senior seems to have a better grasp of municipal government and the role of assembly members than these two candidates do.
The truth is, in my humble opinion, our city will not be served well if these two are elected. And the reality is that no matter what happens, the assembly is definitely going to shift to the right after the election. Paul Honeman is significantly to the right of Sheila Selkregg, but not radically so, as Trombley would be. And Dick Traini, while no Dan Coffey (thank God) is certainly not known for being a liberal, but Clary is right over there near the far right irrational edge with Trombley, Rush Limbaugh, and Glenn Beck.
So Anchorage, what do you want? Do you want good thoughtful governance or a couple of inexperienced, ill-informed rubber stamps for a mayor whose ethics are increasingly being called in to question? If union contracts are your big bitch, they are irrelevant in this discussion. The term of the labor contracts outlasts the terms of the newly elected assemblymen no matter who they are, and I’ve got more video from this forum where Trombley and Clary both just shrugged their shoulders when asked how they can have any impact on these contracts. Don’t even get me started on the wild frenzied exaggerations that have been spewed around regarding the labor contracts by Fagan, the mayor and his cronies.
Finally, I must apologize in advance to the Trombley family. It is not my intention to bad mouth Adam or anyone else in the family. The simple truth is that Adam Trombley is just not ready to run the city. He is narrow minded to a fault, and his opponent, Paul Honeman, while admittedly endorsed by the unions, is moderate, independent, and a fiscal conservative who will be no one’s rubber stamp and will probably give fits to the liberals as much as to the true conservatives on the assembly. And that’s a good thing.
As for Clary, I have no clue what he stands for. He hardly said a word in this forum. Dick Traini is a steady hand right smack dab in the middle of the road. And in these uncertain times, he is exactly what the city needs. Andy, get involved in your community council or something. You’re not ready for this either.
