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A.G.R.E.E. NEARS COMPLETION OF PETITION DRIVE TO REAPPORTION ASSEMBLY & LIMIT THEIR TERMS
Freedom Writer
A.G.R.E.E., the Action Group for Reapportionment & Electoral Equality is nearing the end of its 90 day period to collect signatures on its petition drive to put on the ballot for Anchorage voters an Initiative to change the current Anchorage Assembly districts & term length.
Feb. 12 is the first circulation deadline that Holly, coordinator for AGREE, must meet so the Municipal Clerk can certify the initiative petition as a valid petition for an upcoming local election.
The petition, if eventually approved by Anchorage voters, would change 2 things: First, the current multi-member districts (maxed at 2 per district now) would change to SINGLE-MEMBER DISTRICTS. This would be in accordance with the long-standing US Supreme Court ruling from the 1960's of ONE PERSON ONE VOTE. Second, the current 3 year term of office would change from 3 years to 2 years, with a 7 consecutive year maximum tenure in office. This would bring in "fresh blood" of participation to the legislative body that has seen some former solons return from previous service & that has seen the usual incumbents win re-election easily. These two changes are most critical for the rank-and-file citizen & small business owner to regain some lost power that the current majority make-up of the Assembly has arrogantly assumed & wielded against the current Wuerch mayoral administration & the people of Anchorage.
The full text of the two page petition can be seen here in Adobe Acrobat Format.
(Editor's Note: It takes a little extra time for these to download from your browser due to the large file size, so....patience, please)
There is additional historical perspective on this issue. Former Alaska State legislator Terry Martin has, for several years, declared the Anchorage Assembly mal-apportioned. The re-districting that was finally done in 2001, in some apparent secrecy by some Assembly members, & passed by the full body on Sep. 11, 2001 (doesn't that date ring a bell?) with little time for public input (wonder why, with millions of Americans glued to their TVs watching replays of the terrorist attacks on NYC, DC, & PA), eventually led to much outcry, especially by now former Assemblyperson Cheryl Clementson who tried to shed some light on the process but was outvoted by her fellow Assembly members at the time. Another outcry occurred when a special run-off election was held in the spring of 2002 in part of Cheryl's old vacant district that had a candidate who was financially & organizationally supported by some on the Assembly competing with a more conservative candidate (who eventually lost by about 200 votes). That winning candidate had his own controversy because his house/home was included into a new district created from the redistricting but apparently didn't meet the Anchorage Charter residency requirements for length of time in a district. The winning candidate didn't move, but the "powers-that-be" moved district lines. A losing candidate in the regular election filed suit to clarify the residency timing, as the Charter clearly had a "black & white" wording requirement. The Assembly hired its own attorney to defend the city Clerk (an Assembly-approved office, who approved the eventual winning candidate's qualifications for running) against the city administration's attorney who tried to enforce the existing Charter language. A State judge eventually ruled the case had no merit (it figures), through no fault of the eventual winning candidate. The election proceeded, the votes were counted, & the liberal "more government" majority on the Assembly increased its power by one more person, thereby assuring a "Veto-Proof" Assembly when confronting the conservative Mayor George Wuerch on certain issues. That's not even considering several recent issues that have pitted the Assembly versus the people & their property rights, either, like the recent land clearing ordinance, for example.
Please contact Holly at 575-9409 for more information or location of petitions. If you download & print the petitions from this website, then please coordinate with Holly for instructions on completing it FIRST or to assist her & the growing number of frustrated Anchorage citizens who WANT CHANGE ON THE ASSEMBLY, before we lose our rights AT THE LOCAL LEVEL. The AGREE headquarters location & phone number is:
A.G.R.E.E.
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