This Q&A is part of a broader candidate survey by the Anchorage Daily News. View the full survey here.
Christopher Hall| District: 5 | Age: 47 | Occupation: Worker bee
What is the most important problem facing Anchorage? How would you address it?
Crime and homelessness. If I can get both the Native corporations and the churches discuss this with me. We can fix this, however, they seem to be hiding behind “not my problem.”
Rate Dave Bronson’s performance as mayor. Explain, with specific examples.
I can’t rate someone whose every action has been fought by the council.
The past two years have been marked by increased civic discord in Anchorage. How would you improve the quality of civic discourse in the city?
That is not a city council problem. The people are allowed to protest any way they seem fit as long as they don’t create a victim.
What’s your vision for improving and diversifying Anchorage’s economy?
We have got to get rent inside the Anchorage bowl down to a level where a family can survive.
What do you see as the most effective strategies to address homelessness in Anchorage going forward?
I want to start with the churches because charity comes from the church. If the churches don’t want to help, okay, let’s put them on blast, because Christ said everyone who approaches me, man, woman and child, will be treated the same. You can’t pass a law that says, “I can’t give a homeless person my coffee money,” and then say in the same breath that we are going to give $6 million, $15 million dollars to the homeless problem.
