The Anchorage Ombudsman’s Office, an arbiter independent of the mayoral administration, reported Thursday that Anchorage Mayor Dave Bronson’s administration is pulling surveillance footage to see who is going in and out of the office.
The Ombudsman reviews complaints from the public and city employees, including things like whistleblower reports. It provides a critical component to transparent and ethical government. Influencing who accesses the Ombudsman’s services goes directly against the purpose of the office.
The Ombudsman’s Office was recently involved in bringing to light several recent allegations of unethical behavior and workplace conduct from Bronson and his administration.
According to a memo from Ombudsman Darrell Hess sent to Assembly Chair Suzanne LaFrance, Bronson and acting Municipal Attorney Blair Christensen, multiple employees have alleged that an executive in the Bronson administration told them they download and review surveillance video to see which employees were visiting Hess’ office.
According to the memo, several employees reported believing this is in an attempt to intimidate and discourage them from reaching out to the Ombudsman’s Office to file complaints or discuss workplace issues, and they are now hesitant to access the office because they are being monitored.
Hess has referred the reports to the Municipal Prosecutor’s Office for further review and investigation.
“Accusations of attempting to intimidate Municipal employees to discourage them from contacting the Ombudsman’s Office are serious, chilling allegations,” Hess wrote.
