Don Smith is one of two candidates running for Anchorage Assembly District 4, representing Midtown Anchorage. We asked each candidate the same five questions and gave them 90 seconds to answer each one. Read the transcript of Smith’s answers below and click the play button above to listen to where he stands. Find the rest of the Anchorage municipal election candidates’ Q&As here.
1. Why should people vote for you for Anchorage Assembly?
Well, different from my opponent, I have almost 20 years experience in government in Alaska, and I spent 10-and-a-half years on the Anchorage Assembly a few years back. So I've got the experience, and I've worked in it and understand it.
2. What is the single biggest issue facing the city and how would you address it?
Well, I think the biggest problem the city has right now is that we're on a downhill slide for some reason, and this community is going to be in trouble. The number of people that are here, that are still living in Anchorage, has dropped considerably, and that's going to be a very important issue for for the next Assembly, the next group of people, to try to iron out.
3. What do you see as the best way to reverse Anchorage's trend of outmigration in recent years?
Well, I'm not sure. I served on the Assembly for 10 years, 10-and-a-half years, and we were growing, and in just the last few years, we've started this downhill trend, and it's difficult. You know, how you entice people to consider coming here and making a life in Anchorage is tough, and consequently, you've got problems just being able to provide services and all the things that go with a government and it's going to make it difficult.
4. How would you reduce homelessness in Anchorage?
Well, I think there has to be a tough love attitude, given the people that live off the street now and are street people, they know what they can get away with, and nobody really rails down on people and make them toe the mark. And I think there has to be rules and regulations and you can't allow the kind of things that are going on in Anchorage. Like, I grew up in what's now town square. And it's disgusting what they've turned it into. It's a, it's just a homeless camp. People that want to enjoy it can't, because of all the street people that are always there. So it's, it's, we've got to, we've got to try to change the mentality in this town. And I'm not sure, you know, it's going to take a lot of work.
5. How would you improve public safety in Anchorage?
Well, I think we provide pretty good public safety in Anchorage, personally. I mean, I don't work on the street or have encounters with the police very often, but we've got a pretty good public safety department. It's just we're getting, we're getting just overtaken by the street people that know they can get away with just about anything they want. And consequently, they do.
Read the candidate Q&A with Smith’s competitor: Erin Baldwin Day.