Elvi Gray-Jackson - Midtown

Name: Elvi Gray-Jackson

Occupation: Finance Manager, City of Akutan

Website: www.friendsofelvi.com

Last book you read: The Secret

Favorite movie: The Wizard of Oz

Why are you running for the Anchorage Assembly?: After spending 26 years working for the Municipality of Anchorage and helping citizens navigate through government, I decided to run for Assembly and won in 2008. I have spent the last three years working diligently to represent my constituents. I care about this community and want to continue to represent the interests of everyone and help to maintain a quality of life our community deserves. It is important that people can trust their elected officials to aid them in navigating through the complexities of government. I look forward to working with the citizens of Midtown and Anchorage for another three years.

There is more work to be done and "the best is yet to come."

What one sentence best describes your philosophy of how city government should be run?:

Government should be run in a way that ensures Anchorage citizens are safe in their homes and neighborhoods, provides quality education for our children, and fosters a good quality of life.

What letter grade would you give the current assembly, and why?: 

B. I am pleased that the Assembly has passed important legislation and made good decisions on behalf of our citizens on many issues. I'm disappointed, however, that the Assembly is being led in the wrong direction in regard to the final approval of the Title 21 rewrite. Our citizens have voiced their concern over the length of time it has taken to implement the 2020 Comprehensive Plan by only provisionally approving Title 21 instead of finalizing this document. 

The Assembly voted to make changes to the Code that is both ethical and transparent. Unfortunately, the Assembly support needed to support proposed revisions on this subject is currently insufficient.

What letter grade would you give Mayor Sullivan’s administration, and why?:

C. I applaud Mayor Sullivan for establishing a Homeless Task Force early in his Administration. I disagree with the direction Mayor Sullivan is taking the City with regard to the budget. Many of my constituents have expressed that they want to see a reduction in escalating property taxes but they also would like to maintain a "responsible" level of services. Property taxes have increased by 1.6% but paying more taxes and receiving fewer services is unacceptable.

What are your thoughts on the 2008 union contracts approved by the Assembly? Is there a link to those contracts and the city’s current fiscal situation?: 

In the early 1980's, the Assembly set precedence by providing the Administration with policy guidelines for upcoming labor negotiations. In 2007, Mayor Sullivan was Chair of the Assembly and he maintained this policy and brought forward Anchorage Resolution 2007-74  (see document at the following link:

http://www.muni.org/Departments/Assembly/legislation/2007%20Resolutions/ar2007-084.pdf

The Administration followed those guidelines which included an amendment that stated "the Administration is expected to negotiate annual wage adjustments that do not exceed the five year average in the CPI adjustment." The resolution was amended to exclude Benefits. The Assembly is not allowed by law to negotiate any contracts. The Assembly ratified these contracts after they were negotiated in good faith.

Contrary to negative rhetoric, the City's fiscal situation is not the "sky is falling" outlook presented by the current Administration over the last two years. Although the City experienced the effects of the national economic downturn, many services were unnecessarily eliminated because municipal resources were underutilized.

What are your thoughts on the budget reductions proposed by Mayor Sullivan over the past two years?  Are they too much? Not deep enough? A right amount?: