Opinion: The Acting Mayor Should Serve through June

Originally published October 28th, 2020 in the Anchorage Daily News. Please click here to see the original publication.

Acting Mayor Austin Quinn-Davidson gives brief remarks after being sworn in at City Hall on October 23, 2020. (Marc Lester / ADN)

Congratulations and thank you to Acting Mayor Austin Quinn-Davidson for stepping up to lead our great city. Austin is a hardworking, dedicated public servant who is committed to making Anchorage a better community.

Like many communities across the United States, Anchorage is facing myriad challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As we tackle these public health issues and economic crises, we need strong and stable leadership. We need Acting Mayor Quinn-Davidson to serve out the rest of the mayoral term and continue as acting mayor until July 1, when the newly elected mayor takes office. Serving the remainder of the term increases stability by allowing the newly elected mayor reasonable time to select a leadership team and make an orderly transition after a potential runoff election in May.

Under the Anchorage Municipal Charter, Section 7.02(c), “when a vacancy occurs in the office of mayor, the chair of the Assembly shall serve as acting mayor until a successor is elected and takes office.” We can elect the successor by special or regular election — the charter only requires that if a special election is held, it must take place at least 90 days from the date of the vacancy. The Municipal Charter and Code both promote stability by requiring at least 90 days before a special election and scheduling a period between certifying the election and swearing in the newly elected mayor. Holding four elections in five months — a special election in January, a potential runoff special election, the regular election in April, and a potential runoff regular election — would be both costly and chaotic even without the challenges of the pandemic.
The estimated cost for conducting the special election is $350,000, and each runoff election is estimated to cost $323,000. Runoff elections are likely given the crowded field of candidates. Thus, the likely additional cost of holding a special election is approximately $673,000. Spending this kind of money does not make sense given our current economic uncertainties.

Already under tremendous pressure from COVID-19, conducting a special election could even lead to Anchorage having four different mayors in a matter of months: Former Mayor Ethan Berkowitz, Acting Mayor Quinn-Davidson, the specially elected mayor and, finally, the regularly elected mayor. Each new mayor could overhaul staffing and seat new people in their administrations, causing chaos at city hall during a time when we need strength and stability.

I was in a similar position to Acting Mayor Quinn-Davidson when I became acting mayor upon the resignation of Mayor Mark Begich in January 2009, just three months before the regular election. The economic challenges we faced then parallel our challenges today. In 2009, Anchorage faced a $17 million-$20 million budget shortfall. As acting mayor, I worked with the Assembly to adopt a fiscally responsible budget that made substantial cuts while fully funding public safety and public education. During those six months, we secured more than $50 million in federal stimulus funds and left the municipality in sound financial condition for the incoming mayor. Our success was grounded in the knowledge that we had six months to accomplish the task.

As an experienced decision maker, we need to give Acting Mayor Quinn-Davidson the opportunity to provide careful and responsible leadership. While eight months is a short time to serve as our city’s chief executive, it is ample time to chart a responsible course for challenging times. Moving forward, we should allow Acting Mayor Quinn-Davidson to serve out the remainder of the term and make an orderly transition to the next mayor, and I hope the Assembly will afford her that opportunity.

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.

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