It’s October! Which means Permanent Fund Dividend checks hit accounts this week and snow will be on the ground soon. Former Anchorage Mayor Dave Bronson officially announced that he is running for governor, making him the eleventh Republican in the race. Anchorage Mayor Suzanne LaFrance came out of hiding this week and actually made appearances and took questions at not one but two press conferences. And Governor Mike Dunleavy (R – Alaska) vetoed the internet tax bill. 

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Another one! 

Republican Dave Bronson, the eleventh Republican to enter the governor’s race, held his campaign kickoff on Thursday night (10/2/2025) at a hangar in the Mat-Su Valley. Not sure what’s up with Republicans holding campaign events in hangars but it seems to be a growing trend. 

Around 100 attended the event. One thing I liked about his event was, unlike other campaigns, they did not demand personal data (email address, phone number, mailing address) to get in. And unlike the Bernadette Wilson/Mike Shower event in Big Lake, there were no prohibitions on filming or taking photos. And they kept the bar open during the event! It felt very casual as Dave was talking to people when I walked in and was not hidden away in another room so he could make some kind of weird and produced entrance. 

He was introduced by Alexis Johnson, his former chief of staff and homeless coordinator when he was mayor. When he walked to the front to speak, the theme song from Rocky played. It was a little awkward but also a funny moment. 

He talked about the challenges and fights he had with the Anchorage Assembly when he was mayor, and suggested dealing with the Legislature would be easier than the Assembly. He has no idea how wrong he is on that one. He touched on the transgender stuff, saying it’s hard to work with people who think men can become women and vice versa. 

He spoke favorably about President Donald Trump, saying he’s the best president Alaska has ever had. He also said the next governor needs to hit the ground running and bring on the right people, something he said he’s done. A lot of people would disagree with that one. One glaring example that comes to mind is his first municipal manager, the narcissistic sociopath lunatic Amy Demboski. 

When he was done speaking he took questions from the crowd. He did a decent job answering them. When I asked his position on the dividend, which at $2.5 billion would cost the state nearly half of its revenues this year to pay a full statutory dividend (and we only have $3 billion in the Constitutional Budget Reserve), like other Republican candidates, he struggled. He said he wants to see a large dividend but acknowledged the state also has to pay for its obligations. He also joked that no one in the room needed the dividend. 

None of the Republican candidates have an honest answer for the dividend. Cutting half the budget is lunacy and taxing the income of Alaskans to pay a dividend is not just dumb, it’s a non-starter for most Republicans. But they are competing for the votes of a lot of voters who have been hoodwinked by many elected officials into believing it’s possible to pay mega dividends. 

The one thing Bronson has going for him is name ID. His name ID is probably higher than all the other Republican candidates combined as he got non-stop media coverage when he was mayor. The saying goes there’s no such thing as bad publicity. Bronson had a lot of that as mayor, much of it deserved. Let’s see if it helps him.

Mayor LaFrance appears

Anchorage Mayor Suzanne LaFrance made two public appearances this week. She’s been largely absent from public events for many months, other than the bi-monthly Assembly meetings.

The first was at a press conference at the Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport where it was announced that Southwest Airlines will start offering daily service to Anchorage from Denver and Las Vegas in May. 

When LaFrance spoke she mentioned the importance of tourism for Anchorage. When it was time to take questions, I asked what her thoughts are about the impact of homeless/vagrancy on tourism in Anchorage, and after 15 months in office, if she plans on actually addressing these problems. She basically gave a non-answer by saying they are prioritizing shelter, treatment, and housing, but that there is more work to be done. How profound! 

The second event was later that same day. She held a press conference at City Hall on her proposed budget. She talked about a fiscal cliff the city is facing, but did not offer up any concrete solutions. My question to her was why the city is not enforcing the ordinances passed months ago – that she introduced – that criminalize setting fires and camping in certain public areas. Like the answer at the airport press conference, a real answer was not given. She instead talked about housing, shelter, and treatment. 

It’s going to be a long winter, folks. 

Other Happenings 

Governor Dunleavy vetoed the internet sales tax bill. Hope the price of oil does not crash before his last budget is due in December! 

THIS. THIS. THIS! Let’s build that tunnel. It will solve Anchorage’s housing mess as they know how to build houses in the Mat-Su Valley. 

It appeared Representative Justin Ruffridge (R – Soldotna) had picked up a Republican challenger, but it turns out he does not yet meet residency requirements. Justin still safe, for now…

Damn these guys are dedicated! And to the lunatics commenting that this is somehow equivalent to the vagrants plaguing our city, these guys are not leaving trash, urinating or defecating outside, or getting drunk or high in public. They also clearly have permission to be on the private property. 

This is an interesting development…

This Week’s Loose Unit 

This was one of those REALLY easy weeks. This week’s Loose Unit is Crooked Adam Crum. Crum is one of the eleven Republicans running for governor. 

Earlier this week I got a tip from a trusted source that Crum had committed $50 million of the Constitutional Budget Reserve (CBR) to a private equity firm, DigitalBridge, on his way out the door as Revenue commissioner. I was able to corroborate the tip through multiple sources. That alone is fairly loose. But what is maximum loose is he did not bother to tell anyone about the contract he signed. They found out when the DigitalBridge folks contacted them with a $50 million cash call. Classic Loose Unit behavior! 

This Landmine article goes into all the details, “Adam Crum quietly committed $50 million of CBR to outside investment firm on his way out the door.”

Since my story was published, there have been two loose developments. First, the two presiding officers put out a statement expressing serious concern about Crum’s loose behavior with the contract. 

Second, I obtained a letter that was sent from Acting Revenue Commissioner Janelle Earls to Kris Curtis, the legislative auditor, informing her the money is being set aside for the transfer to DigitalBridge.  

I have submitted records requests for the contract and correspondence related to the issue. Based on what I have learned since the story was published, this is going to get way looser. Crooked Adam Crum is gonna have some seriously explaining to do. Stay tuned for more Landmine coverage on this very loose story. 

If you have a nomination for this week’s Loose Unit, or if you have any political news, stories or gossip (or any old pics of politicians or public officials) please email me at jeff@alaskalandmine.com.