The opinionated Anchorage mayoral candidate Paul Bauer Jr. took a side-swipe on Facebook at fellow candidate for mayor Assemblywoman Amy Demboski over her proposed ordinance to ban pot in Anchorage, which failed.
My position: Marijuana. I did not vote for Ballot Measure #2, the legislation to legalize the drug marijuana in our community. I could not support legalizing inhaling a drug substance as I view it as a toxin to my body and to others around me.
However, contrary to the oppositions statements of a slim margin win; the people of Alaska spoke with a 53-47 percentage approval to tax and regulate the production, sale, and use of marijuana for adults 21 and over.
The ordinance by a mayoral candidate on the Assembly to “opt out” of the discussionon the commercialization of cannabis within city limits was immature and disrespectful to the legislature and voters. It was wrong and irresponsible. Nine of the eleven Assembly members agreed.
Having Anchorage sit on the sidelines while the rest of state had a voice in developing the standards for commercial use was not a good strategy.
I believe Anchorage has an opportunity to show the rest of the nation that we can develop comprehensive measures to protect our community and support the wishes of the majority.
Anchorage should be First before political self-interests.
This article should have beem titled: Dumb and Dumber.
Neither of these candidates offer much interms of intellectual pursuit, leadership or for that matter, anything else.
Guess that makes me a Dan Coffey supporter by default.
It seems to me that both Amy Demboski and Paul Bauer should be talking about the real issues. How is Anchorage going to deal with reduced revenue sharing? What about the lack of cops and the increase in crime we’re seeing? What will happen to our property taxes when we have to start paying for more things when the state makes cuts?
Neither of these two seem like serious candidates.
While I agree with Bauer I believe that he arrived at his point of view through somewhat flawed logic.
To claim that Assemblywoman Amy Demboski was immature and disrespectful because she used the public process and the provisions of Ballot Measure #2 as it is designed to be used does not say anything good about Bauer’s own wisdom or maturity.
Ballot Measure #2 specifically provides for communities to opt out and Demboski is a member of the anchorage assembly and as such apparently believes that her community would be well served by opting out. Every community in the state has this option and can decided the issue based on local values. There is nothing wrong with what Demboski attempted and while in this instance the voters who participated at the assembly meeting and the other assembly members disagreed and her move failed, It shows that she was doing what she was actually sent there to do, provide leadership discuss uncomfortable issues and make hard decisions.