Hizzonadamayah

Admittedly, I don't get out much. I can't say that I have my finger on the pulse of Anchorage, or that I can even comprehend the world view of a citizenry that could elect mean-spirited buffoons like Tom Fink or Chris Birch to any public office.

So I'm nervous about this mayoral election. We have in Mark Begich a clearly competent, public-spirited guy - political to be sure, but he's slashed budgets, improved city services, and focused on the infrastructure necessary for the long-term economic growth of the city. And on the other side is Jack Frost - callow ad-man with no public management experience and a bag full of recycled sound-bites that substitute for ideas. Who will this city choose?

I'd like to think the choice is easy and clear ... and then I see all of those Jack Frost yard signs [Gulp!]

There is no question but that Frost would be an absolute disaster as mayor. His lack of any real nuts-and-bolts ideas about how government should do its job (as opposed to ideological opinions about what that job is - which I'm sure he has in spades) combined with the lack of real management experience and good-ol'-boy business experience will lead to pure croneyism. Services that are "essential" to his type (things that involve manly toys, like big trucks and welding equipment) will increase in cost and decrease in efficiency, leading to cuts in services that are not "essential" (things that actually improve quality of life, like park maintenance and social services). To distract people from this, there will be a lot of chest-thumping about divisive social issues that have nothing to do with running a city.