Anchorage Mayor-elect Bronson names executive committee, led by established conservatives

Anchorage’s Mayor-elect Dave Bronson announced Monday that Former Lt. Gov. Craig Campbell will be his chief of staff and former Assemblymember Amy Demboski will be the municipal manager.

“We went through, I think, a very rigorous HR-type process and we got into a lot of detail. We did a lot of investigation on backgrounds and social media and skill sets and even college resumes,” Bronson said. “We left no stone unturned.”

Campbell and Demboski are both longtime conservatives in Anchorage. Demboski, who represented Eagle River on the Anchorage Assembly, unsuccessfully ran for mayor against Ethan Berkowitz in 2015. More recently, she served as deputy commissioner for the Alaska Department of Commerce under Republican Gov. Mike Dunleavy. 

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Campbell worked as Alaska’s lieutenant governor under former Republican Gov. Sean Parnell. Campbell was also the co-chair of Bronson’s transition team and served on the Anchorage Assembly from 1986 to 1995.

Campbell has been a vocal critic of the left-leaning Anchorage Assembly during the recent mayoral election. Bronson said despite the harsh rhetoric, he thought Campbell would find a way to work with the Assembly. 

“I’m completely convinced Gen. Campbell can do just that. And he can work with Mr. Dunbar and I hope Mr. Dunbar can work with this team in its entirety,” said Bronson.

Bronson said that some positions in the administration would remain unfilled to reduce the city’s payroll budget. He said a promised report on ways to reduce city spending is finished, but he won’t reveal any details until he takes office on Thursday, July 1. 

Other New Appointments:

·      Director of Community Engagement: Portia Noble

·      Director of Legislative Affairs: Terrence Shanigan

·      Director of Boards and Commissions: Stephanie Williams

·      Chief Fiscal Officer: Travis Frisk

·      Director of Enterprise Services: Kolby Hickel

·      Director of Office of Management and Budget: Karl Raszkiewicz

·      Director of Human Resources: Niki Tshibaka

·      Director of Department of Health and Human Services: David Morgan

·      Executive Director of Community Development: Adam Trombley

·      Director of Public Works: Lance Wilber

·      Director of Building Services: Ronald Thompson

·      Director of Maintenance and Operations: Saxton Shearer

·      Director of Real Estate Services: Christina Cope Hendrickson

·      Purchasing Director: Rachelle Alger

·      Librarian: Sami Graham

·      Director of Information Technology: Marcus Dahl

·      Homeless Coordinator: Dr. John Morris

·      Executive Director of Anchorage Community Development Authority: Mike Robbins

Retained Directors:

·      Director Port of Alaska: Steve Ribuffo

·      General Manager of AWWU: Mark Corsentino

·      Director of Solid Waste Service: Mark Spafford

·      Director of Parks and Recreation: Josh Durand

·      Director of Project Management and Engineering: Kent Kohlhase

·      Director of Development Services: Bob Doehl

·      Director of Planning: Michelle McNulty

·      Municipal Treasurer: Dan Moore

·      Director of Transportation: Jamie Acton

·      Municipal Projects Director: Alden Thern

·      Municipal Controller: Molly Morrison

·      Transportation Inspector: Carrie Belden

·      Director Merrill Field:  Ralph Gibbs

Previously Announced Appointments:

·      Anchorage Police Department Chief: Ken McCoy

·      Anchorage Fire Department Chief: Doug Schrage

·      Municipal Attorney: Patrick Bergt