Big Mark

Sometimes, when I get discouraged about the national political scene, I am able to calm myself down by focusing on the local. Not that I agree with everything Mark Begich does, but his general approach to government is a spot-on model of New Progressivism: it's results-oriented, focused on providing infrastructure to improve local quality of life; it seeks to be efficient and frugal; and it's non-ideological.

Big Mark has been hampered - and significantly so - by the bumblings of previous mayors, particularly by the inexcusable pandering of the insufferable Rick Mystrom, which unnecessarily impoverished future governments for years to come. But, for the first time I can recall, city government actually has direction - a philosophical (as opposed to ideological) template based on an understanding of what good government actually is. Here's hoping he can stay at it.