Member-only story
Fatal Conceit
The Hubris of Elected Officials
You voted for them to represent on your behalf but they believe they know better than you and they are not listening.
July 28, 2020
Anchorage, Alaska
My hometown is in the midst of a battle with its elected officials. In the past two weeks I have joined my fellow citizens to provide testimony against the city’s decision to spend twenty-two and a half million dollars of pandemic relief money on the purchase of four properties for homelessness services. These properties would include a treatment center, a day engagement center, an overnight shelter, and a transitional housing center. These centers will have a combined annual operating budget of $7 million moving forward. There are an estimated 1,000 to 1,500 homeless people in Anchorage, or 0.34 to 0.50 percent of the population, and the total initial expense to establish these centers will amount to $15,000.00 spent per person while the annual operating budget will amount to $4,667.00 spent per person. Local residents are concerned about the location of these centers, smack in the heart of midtown, for the behavior they might attract, as well as the harsh truth that they will drive property values down, and they are concerned about the sustainability of these…
