The Anchorage Assembly is losing two of its members, though for different reasons. While it’s unusual for Assembly members to depart before the end of their terms, it’s not unprecedented.
Two-term Assembly member Amy Demboski of Eagle River-Chugiak’s District 2 resigned from her seat Monday to serve as a deputy chief of staff in the Dunleavy administration.
Tuesday night’s Assembly meeting was the first without Demboski, who’s been one of the body’s staunchest conservatives for much of her tenure. She built a reputation as a diligent member who sat on a number of committees and easily won re-election by her constituents in 2016. In her 2015 bid for Anchorage mayor, Demboski emerged from a crowded field of candidates in a run-off against Ethan Berkowitz, which she ultimately lost. Her seat will be filled with an interim appointment made by sitting Assembly members, then go up for a regular vote in April’s municipal elections.
West Anchorage Assembly member Eric Croft announced he won’t be running for re-election in April. Croft, a former state legislator, is nearing the end of his first term. He says with their kids now off to college, he and his wife are downsizing and moving to a new home outside of his current district. He will serve until the end of his current term.
Five of the Assembly’s 11 seats are up for election in April.
Zachariah Hughes reports on city & state politics, arts & culture, drugs, and military affairs in Anchorage and South Central Alaska.
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