Opinion: Why I’m running for mayor

Has been updated: 34 few minutes ago release date: 34 few minutes ago

Growing up here in Alaska, my family always drove with jumper cables in the back of the car.

If someone was wearing a hood, we would stop and help them. When I needed to jump, someone else stopped me.

I remember these as defining moments growing up here, when everyday people were working together to solve everyday problems. That’s how we progressed and moved forward.

Lately, it feels like we’ve gone backwards in Anchorage, spending more time fighting and blaming than finding common ground and getting things done.

My opponents are so obsessed with dividing sides and picking fights that they forget how to show up and do their job every day.

The mayor is the CEO of our city. CEOs are supposed to bring people together to solve problems.

I worked in the private sector for 25 years. I would say that if other organizations were in the situation that local governments are in today, we would either look to the CEO for answers or we would look for a new CEO. We have seen incomplete financial audits, scandals and costly litigation, and an unprecedented personnel crisis, including more than 50 executive vacancies at APD. The list goes on.

We know we can do better. I know we can make this a place we are all proud to call home, a place our children not only want to live in, but can afford to live. Whether it’s fostering housing development, investing in our schools, or building a reliable energy future, there are great opportunities here in Anchorage.

And we have a lot of work to do to get there, from cleaning up the financial mess at City Hall and staffing APD to creating a real plan for homelessness and revitalizing the economy. And in winter it is necessary to remove snow from the roads. We can do all of these things, but only if we have leaders who work with us and focus on solving problems.

I am a mother of three children and I know that bullies will lash out without taking responsibility. No matter what the other side says, this election is not about left or right, red or blue. It’s about coming together to get things done.

I’m running to represent all of Anchorage and bring a low-ego, problem-solving culture back to City Hall.

It takes a team. I am committed to hiring a team of qualified, talented, and ethical people who are passionate about our community.

There’s a lot of work to do, but I’m ready to get to work. I hope that I can get your vote in the May 14th election.

Suzanne Lafrance She lives in South Anchorage with her husband and three children. She is a registered independent running for mayor of Anchorage.

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