The Anchorage Assembly is welcoming its two newest members, and making sure all their questions and concerns are addressed as they begin making decisions on how best to use taxpayer money.
South Anchorage assembly member Randy Sulte and Eagle River-Chugiak assembly member Kevin Cross are newcomers to the assembly afterto District 6 and District 2, respectively, in the recent municipal election. On Monday afternoon, both attended a new member welcome luncheon with a few of the current members.
“Number one is that bailiwick of homelessness, crime, drug abuse, mental health,” Sulte said. “If I can get one thing moving forward over the next three years and that’s it, I will consider it a 100% success.” “I hear a lot of people give lip service to, ‘hey, we’re good for small business,’ but they don’t realize there are tons of unintended consequences every time we spend your money,” he said. “Every time we take money from the public and go start a big project somewhere, I know the intentions are good. ... But for me it’s not creating more problems for small business and private property owners in order to go solve somebody else’s problem.
The dynamic of the body shouldn’t be much different going forward, although Sulte is more conservative than former South Anchorage assembly member John Weddleton.