JULY 13 UPDATE: Prior to publication, The Current reached out to ASD Chief of Communications and External Affairs MJ Thim to confirm Allen Young’s and Rodvik’s employment. As of Thursday afternoon, Thim has not responded to the Current’s request. In an email to Alaska Public Media, Thim confirmed that they would be joining the district’s communications team, with Young starting on Aug. 7 and Rodvik on Sep. 18.
ORIGINAL STORY: With one year left in his term, the bleeding continues as Anchorage Mayor Dave Bronson loses two of his most loyal staffers: Communications Director Corey Allen Young and Deputy Communications Director Hans Rodvik. Sources confirm to the Current that Allen Young and Rodvik are taking senior communications positions with the Anchorage School District.
The departures continue a remarkable amount of turnover for an Anchorage mayoral administration – only four of Bronson’s original 23 appointees remain in their jobs.
Since December 2022, Bronson has seen a complete turnover of his senior staff and other key leadership positions:
- Municipal Manager Amy Demboski, fired December 19
- Deputy Chief of Staff Brice Wilbanks, resigned January 20
- Acting Municipal Attorney Blair Christensen, resigned January 24
- Senior Policy Advisor Larry Baker, contract expired January 31
- Human Resources Director Niki Tshibaka, resigned February 6
- Chief of Staff Adam Trombley, resigned April 4
- Solid Waste Services Director Dan Zipay, resigned April 6
- Deputy Library Director Judy Eledge, resigned May 15
- Chief Fiscal Officer Grant Yurtzenka, resigned May 19
- Maintenance & Operations Director Saxton Shearer, resigned May 26
Bronson hired Allen Young as communications director in August 2021 to replace Matt Shuckerow, who was working in an interim capacity during the first two months of Bronson’s term. Rodvik was hired in December 2021. Prior to their roles in the Bronson administration, Allen Young and Rodvik worked in similar communications roles for Gov. Mike Dunleavy.
At ASD, Allen Young will be reunited with MJ Thim, ASD’s chief of communications and external affairs. Thim is another former municipal employee that departed during the Bronson administration – he served as the director of community relations for the Anchorage Police Department until October 2021. During the final months of Thim’s APD tenure, he worked closely with Bronson’s team on communications issues, including heated Anchorage Assembly meetings during debate over COVID-19 mandates that resulted in arrests of attendees.
In his role as Bronson’s communications director, Allen Young avoided confirming allegations or lied to media members on multiple occasions including when Demboski attempted to cut the live feed of an Anchorage Assembly meeting and when Bronson illegally ordered the addition of fluoride in the city’s water supply to be cut off. As the communications team for the mayor, Allen Young and Rodvik have limited Bronson’s contact with local media in 2023, only granting interviews to friendly, partisan outlets.
While their official ASD job titles are not confirmed, both Allen Young and Rodvik appear to be in line for significant pay raises.
As Bronson’s communications director, Allen Young earns $96,000 per year, while Rodvik nets $88,000 as deputy communications director. According to online job postings from June, the assistant director of communications positions with ASD pay an expected salary of $112,000-$115,000 per year, depending on experience.
CORRECTION: The original version of this story incorrectly stated that MJ Thim worked at the Anchorage Police Department until October 2022. In an email to the Current, Thim stated he left APD in October 2021.
