After public testimony and debate, the Anchorage Assembly denied Mayor Dave Bronson’s request to pay $550,000 to his former Municipal Manager Amy Demboski to preemptively settle a wrongful termination claim against him and the Municipality of Anchorage. Demboski’s attorney sent Bronson a scathing demand letter, but has not filed a lawsuit.
The Assembly voted unanimously to settle a second set of wrongful firing lawsuits for $277,500 filed by the former Director of the Office of Equal Opportunity, Heather MacAlpine. Both proposed settlements were discussed with Bronson’s administration in a closed door executive session on May 5.
Bronson fired both women in 2022: MacAlpine while she was investigating unlawful discrimination claims against now-former Library Deputy Director Judy Eledge, and Demboski after she sent an email to Bronson outlining concerns she had about unethical behavior, illegal contracting and a toxic, misogynistic workplace.
In an 8-4 vote, assembly member Meg Zaletel and the three members who align more closely with Bronson – Randy Sulte, Kevin Cross and Scott Myers – voted to settle with Demboski. The difference between the two cases, in several of the members’ views, was that MacAlpine had filed two lawsuits, while Demboski had only sent a letter, and many facts in the case remain unknown.
“I get concerned, that no suit has been filed in the Demboski case, that we open ourselves up to kind of being an easy target,” Sulte said before ultimately voting in favor of settling the case.
Assembly members expressed concern and the need for accountability throughout the spirited conversation that preceded the vote.
“This is the tip of the iceberg,” Assembly member Kameron Perez Verdia said. “What we’ve seen is a mass exodus of people who have worked with this municipality for decades … I think it is important that we not approve this, that we get the truth out and that we ensure that we hold this administration accountable for what they’ve done and what they are currently doing.”
Public testimony was in favor of rejecting the proposed settlement with Demboski, with members of the public stating a need for transparency, accountability, and for the facts of the case to be revealed through the legal process of lawsuit and discovery. Some pointed out the difference in standards of holding people accountable in the private sector, versus the government sector.
“We need to hold this administration accountable. This is not OK. Why would anyone in their right mind think – in the private sector – that you can settle something like this?” testifier William Burke said. “Two hundred and thirty-two working households just like mine are paying for this. Why? Because we have inept leadership? That’s supposedly conservative leadership? In the 18 years I’ve been registered to vote, I’ve been a Republican. This is not conservative leadership.”
The right-wing, Bronson-aligned website, Must Read Alaska, has been silent about the settlements up until now, but with this latest development, has spun the story as an attack by the Assembly on Bronson’s campaign for re-election, stating that it may “doom” him. This change in tactics may indicate that Republicans are prepared to abandon Bronson.
Assembly members and the public alike acknowledged that the monetary cost of not settling may end up being greater than the $550,000 demanded from Demboski in exchange for not going brutally public in a lawsuit, but they expressed that there were other costs to be considered – the cost of accountability, unchanging future conduct from Bronson, and learning the truth of what transpired.
“Certainly protecting taxpayer money is in the public interest,” Assembly member Daniel Volland said. “However, government accountability, transparency, and the public’s right to know is also in the public interest. So how do we weigh those factors?”
Assembly Chair Christopher Constant said that while cost was one factor, the truth was another important piece to consider. Bronson has steadfastly refused to address the public about the allegations against him, saying that they involve personnel issues or that he has been advised by legal counsel not to talk about it.
“What is the price of the truth? How do we get to the truth? … We have no confidence in the truth of the process,” Constant said, describing the difficulty the Assembly has obtaining even simple public records from the administration.
“If we don’t establish what actually took place and have some measure of accountability then we have little assurance that there will be a change in conduct,” Assembly member Zac Johnson said.
Zaletel spoke about a settlement agreement drawn up between Bronson and Demboski, which includes a confidentiality agreement as to the terms of the settlement, a release from future claims against Bronson and the administration, and an agreed upon joint statement.
“It is, and will continue to be, my honor to serve all residents of Anchorage as Mayor,” said Mayor Dave Bronson. “I have always acted with the utmost integrity to serve the best interests of the Municipality of Anchorage. I’m pleased that this matter is resolved,” Zaletel read from the agreement.
“He probably would be pleased to see this matter is resolved, but honesty and integrity, no way,” Zaletel said.
The failed settlement included an agreement to limit all public statements to the agreed upon joint statement, and a denial by Bronson of “each and every claim” against him and the municipality. Many of the claims in Demboski’s letter, such as shutting off the delivery of fluoride to the municipality’s drinking water and allowing the navigation center construction to move forward without Assembly approval, are now well-established facts.
The Assembly’s decision to deny the settlement means that Demboski has been released from the agreement and is free to take her claims against the administration to court. Most Assembly members agreed that this was the only way that the truth of the allegations would ever come to light.
“It’s hard to put a dollar value on the truth and the reality is, I believe if we settle this today, then that is the end of the question and the veracity of the Ms. Demboski claims will never be tested,” Johnson said.
At the end of the meeting, Dawn Morse, a member of the public, told the Assembly in closing testimony: “You did an honorable thing tonight and it had nothing to do with the fiscal part.”
