Anchorage Mayor Dave Bronson has tapped Anne Helzer to lead his legal department, and with several legal battles on the table, he will need a formidable litigator, and one that can get Assembly confirmation.
Helzer is best known as chair of the Alaska Public Offices Commission and has shown interest in politics before. In 2019, she applied for the state senate seat left vacant by the death of Sen. Chris Birch. Gov. Mike Dunleavy selected Laddie Shaw for the seat, and later Josh Revak after the legislature failed to confirm Shaw. He appointed Helzer to the violent crimes compensation board a year later.
Helzer has a private practice where she largely focuses on wills, trusts, estates, guardianship and probate law. She has a Bachelors in literature, a Masters in education, and a Juris Doctorate from Regent School of Law. Regent University is located in Virginia and describes itself as a “premier Christian university,” with the motto Christian Leadership to Change the World. Regent Law was ranked Top 35 in the Nation for Academic Experience by The Princeton Review in 2020.
If Helzer makes it through confirmation, she will be put through the gauntlet. Former city employee Heather MacAlpine’s lawsuit against Bronson and his administration moved to federal court. Former municipal manager Amy Demboski threatened to file a wrongful termination lawsuit, and alleged Bronson and his administration have repeatedly violated state and local laws since taking office. Also, the Bronson administration will have to fight off a subpoena from the Assembly related to the hiring of former health department director Joe Gerace, and the investigation into his fraudulent resumé.
Helzer, if confirmed, would bring some stability to the position that has been unfilled for more than a year. In July 2021, then-Municipal Attorney Patrick Bergt resigned, and a permanent replacement has not been installed since. In her whistleblower letter, Demboski wrote that Bergt reported Bronson’s senior advisor, Larry Baker, attempted to pressure the municipality’s legal department to dismiss domestic violence charges against Baker’s business partner.
Bronson appointed Mario Bird, who sued the Assembly in 2020 and is a regular contributor to the ultra conservative and religious blog The Alaska Watchman, to replace him. Bird was ultimately rejected by the Assembly for being unqualified.
Blair Christensen then started serving as acting municipal attorney but resigned a couple weeks ago.
Helzer has shown at least some connection to the administration, having written a letter in support of Bird’s appointment, and having served on the APOC commission when it issued a $38,500 fine against the Bronson campaign for violating campaign finance regulations. It’s the largest fine the commission has ever issued.
