The ongoing exodus from Anchorage Mayor Dave Bronson’s administration continued Wednesday when Maintenance and Operations Director Saxton Shearer resigned.
Shearer’s exit leaves only four of Bronson’s original 23 appointees in their jobs. The remarkable turnover in less than two years has seen career bureaucrats and political operatives alike flee city hall. Shearer’s resignation is the third in eight days, continuing the ongoing string of departures that have plagued Bronson.
Grant Yutrezenka, who resigned as chief financial officer last week, was only in the position for four months.
Judy Eledge, whose tenure as deputy director of the library included fears of book bans, controversy over a toxic work environment, discrimination, racist and anti-LGBTQ statements, and potentially costly lawsuits which could cost the municipal taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars, also resigned last week.
The resignations have been so prevalent that the last three press releases issued by Bronson have been announcing departures from his administration, despite there being more impactful issues, such as the city not having an emergency homeless shelter for the first time in decades, a decision that comes on the heels of the the city setting a record for most outdoor deaths.
So far, Bronson has had four municipal attorneys, five chiefs of staff, two human resources directors and a library department that went without a director for more than a year.
In February, the Anchorage Daily News reported that Bronson requested $2 million for professional services contractors to supplement work normally done by the Controller Division, which had a 50% vacancy rate. Michael Cipriano took over as controller in April after seven months without a permanent employee in the position.
After Joe Gerace’s tenure as Anchorage Health Department director ended abruptly in August 2022 due to a fabricated resume, the department website shows that it currently has a division manager, Kimberly Rash, acting as director, with three other key leadership positions vacant. In February, Rash told the Assembly in a work session that the health department was facing a 30% vacancy rate.
Several of the departures came alongside a breaking scandal. Deputy Chief of Staff Brice Wilbanks departed amid accusations that an unnamed Bronson administration employee was using security cameras to spy on employees. Former municipal manager Amy Demboski was fired shortly before detailing a lengthy list of accusations of corruption, law-breaking and tolerance of a sexualized workplace.
Shearer, who was appointed by Bronson in July 2021, led Maintenance and Operations when Hickel Contracting, Inc. started work on the Tudor and Elmore Navigation Center without approval. The decision ultimately resulted in a lawsuit against the municipality, which Bronson wants to settle for $2.5 million.
In her allegation letter, Demboski accused Bronson of pressuring Shearer to allow work to proceed on the project.“The M&O Director would ultimately be the one to ‘take the fall’ for the decision,” the letter stated.
In January, Shearer learned from The Alaska Current that McKenna Brothers was fueling at municipal fuel pumps, resulting in a scandal that ended with McKenna Brothers receiving a bill from the municipality for $14,250.82 worth of fuel from 97 fuel ups.
Shearer said he is leaving for an opportunity in the private sector. In his press release, Bronson praised Shearer as a steady part of the team.
“I have been afforded an opportunity in the private sector that will allow me to continue pursuing my passion for project management that I could not pass up,” Shearer said in the press release.
Shearer told the Current in a phone interview that he is taking a position as a Senior Project Manager for Northern Powerline Constructors, a company specializing in electrical and communications construction in Alaska and Hawaii.
“It was a good exit and a good experience with great opportunities,” he said about his work with the municipality. “I had a really great time working with a lot of great people.”
