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| January 11, 2007 Editor’s Desk by Aaron Selbig, insurgent49  It’s been a juvenile week here at Insurgent Headquarters.If you follow the Anchorage Assembly at all, you know that, at times, they resemble a group of mischievous teenagers (no offense to mischievous teenagers) more than they do an elected body responsible for the laws of Anchorage. Case in point: Anna Fairclough. Anna Fairclough was, until last Friday, the Assembly’s representative from Seat 2C in Eagle River, and is a former chair of the Assembly. In the November election, she was elected to the Alaska House of Representatives and is presently preparing to go to Juneau for her first legislative session. Congratulations go to Ms. Fairclough for her victory, along with a word of caution: don’t expect your colleagues in the Alaska House to be receptive to the kind of juvenile antics you have displayed from time to time in the Assembly. I was in attendance at last Friday’s Anchorage Assembly meeting, a silly “semi-official” affair, held in Eagle River for the express purpose of celebrating Anna’s election to the Legislature and seeing her off. There were groups of well-wishers. There were tearful speeches. There was even a buffet. Also, in between all of the crying and glad-handing … an Assembly meeting happened to take place. The one piece of Assembly business on the schedule had to do with the zoning of some parkland in Eagle River, an ordinance that was championed by Anna Fairclough, who told us all how wonderful the new park was going to be. Enter Allan Tesche, the Assemblyman from the downtown district who has long been Fairclough’s nemesis. During an hour-long cross examination on the park ordinance (Allan is an attorney by trade), Mr. Tesche got it out of Ms. Fairclough that what this deal really was all about was letting the State of Alaska use the “parkland” as a giant gravel pit. I could go on and on about the disturbing ins and outs of this particular ordinance, but the really fascinating thing about the meeting, and the thing that may get Anna in trouble in Juneau, was the tension, the hatred even, that boiled just below the surface during Allan Tesche’s questioning. Anna Fairclough, clearly perturbed that Allan was raining on her parade (perhaps he didn’t get the memo that this “meeting” was supposed to be all about Anna), was literally rolling her eyes as Allan asked pointed questions about the nature of the park deal. At one point, she got up out of her seat, walked over to fellow Assembly member Debbie Ossiander, whispered something in her ear while pointing at Allan Tesche, and they both giggled like a couple of schoolgirls. All of this before the press and the public, during an official Assembly proceeding. But it got worse. After the testimony was over and the conservative-controlled Assembly rubber-stamped Anna’s park ordinance, the celebration of Anna’s career/goodbye party began. It was during this that Anna Fairclough presented a special “gift” to her “friend” and fellow Assembly member Allan Tesche. She gave him a bag of coal. Seriously. A little burlap bag with the word COAL written on it which contained, presumably, coal. And they all, except for Allan, had a hearty laugh. And, while I like to think I can appreciate a good joke as well as the next person, I found it disturbing that our elected leaders would behave in such a juvenile manner. Perhaps Anna Fairclough, whose political career is probably best known for the Elvi Gray-Jackson scandal in 2005, thinks that this sort of amateurish behavior is acceptable in government. And, sadly … in the Anchorage Assembly, maybe it is. But I happen to know for a fact that the sharks down in Juneau will eat Anna Fairclough alive if she pulls any dumb maneuvers in the Legislature like she did at her final Assembly meeting. All of our elected leaders, from the city and borough levels to the state Legislature, need to remember that they represent us all, not just their home geographical or political turf. Alaskans expect mature, adult leadership, not petty attacks and high school antics. It’s not about you, it’s about us. Remember that, Anna Fairclough. And good luck in Juneau. Aaron Selbig is an activist and media junkie who resides in an undisclosed location in downtown Anchorage. He is the winner of a 2006 Alaska Press Club award for Best Editorial Writing, host of KUDO 1080 AM's 'The Aaron Selbig Show' and a co-founder of Insurgent49. Aaron may be contacted at editor@insurgent49.com 'Editor's Desk' appears on insurgent49.com every Thursday. |
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