Thursday, November 7, 2024

Dave Bronson Failed to Plow the Streets, and the Internet Had a Field Day

Anchorage is battling with historic snowstorms, dumping feet on the city in a matter of days. It’s the sort of thing a city like Anchorage should be prepared for, even if it takes a little longer than normal to clear the roads.

The city, however, was not prepared. A third of the city’s snowplows were out of service in December, when the city has it’s highest average snowfall of the year. In addition to not getting equipment ready for the winter season, the Bronson administration also left vacant road maintenance positions unfilled

The result was four straight days of school closure due to the poor roads, meaning parents are stuck at home, businesses are forced to close and the overall economy slows down. 

There are few things that can damage mayors like inadequate snow removal, and after days stuck in the house, Anchorage residents let Bronson have it.


The city response was so poor that everyday Alaskans became heroes, driving around and pulling people out of snowbanks.


Then, on Monday, Bronson took to Facebook to reassure the good people of Anchorage. He was bringing on contractors, like McKenna Brothers. That’s right, the same McKenna Brothers that spent $85,000 to get Bronson elected and plastered their trucks with Bronson campaign signs during his election effort.

Bronson was trying to show some sign of leadership, but of course the end result was more taxpayer money being funneled to his donors. It did not land well.


As if things weren’t bad enough for the Bronson administration, among the chaos of the snowstorm, the Anchorage Daily News reported that 2022 has the highest number of outdoor homeless deaths since they started tracking in 2017.

On Tuesday, the Anchorage School District reopened with a “parent choice” policy, allowing students back into classrooms if they could get there, despite roads that remain treacherous. 

Perhaps they heard the collective groans of parents facing yet another snow day and employers struggling to staff businesses with parents stuck at home.

However, that too did not go over well for many, because many streets were still not cleared. Some buses were unable to pick up children due to road conditions. Even worse, some kids  got stuck on buses for three hours or more.

Children weren’t the only ones who got stuck. After People Mover stopped

moving yesterday for the first time in ten years, people who had taken morning buses to work went online to say that they would be snowshoeing home.

At least the “supply chain issues” that held up the municipality’s snow equipment during the early days of snow magically resolved themselves midway through and the municipality is now operating 28 of it’s 30 graders.

While many people discussed the terrible conditions on the ground and the unprecedented poor planning for snow removal, others revived the idea that streets should simply be redefined as snow storage areas.

 

 

Anchorage residents may be done with the snow, but the snow isn’t done with us. Another storm is expected to move in Wednesday, bringing with it another 7 to 12 inches of snow and possibly even rain. Good luck, Dave. Maybe you can find some old friends to help out.

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