Opinion: Anchorage’s 50th municipal anniversary is a reminder of what local government can be

On Friday, Nov. 7, we gathered at the Anchorage Museum at Rasmuson Center to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the voter-created Municipality of Anchorage. The evening was energetic: a bustling civics fair where municipal departments and local nonprofits invited residents into their work, and a lively film and history talk in the museum theatre by Anchorage historian David Reamer. These events set the tone for a night of civic pride and community connection.
We were joined by current and former mayors, assembly members and school board members to honor the people who have shaped Anchorage over five decades. Some were unable to attend — including former Mayors Tony Knowles and Dan Sullivan and former Acting Mayors Matt Claman and Austin Quinn-Davidson.
We were also fortunate to have two of the three remaining Charter Commission members, Jane Angvik and Lisa Parker, join us in person. Joe Josephson was unable to attend.
It’s worth a pause to respectfully acknowledge the many public servants who are no longer with us. Their leadership forms the foundation of the city we are celebrating.
[Opinion: 50 years after unification, reflections from members of Anchorage’s Charter Commission]
In a room full of civic leaders, the evening offered me a chance to set aside political differences and reflect on the contributions each of the mayors who attended has made to our community. In a time when it is much easier to criticize and lambast, I wanted to take a moment to remember the good work.
Former Mayor Rick Mystrom’s vision of “The City of Lights and Flowers” empowered residents and businesses to take pride in shaping Anchorage’s character. His simple, inspiring message still carries power today. We can always use more vision.
Former Mayor George Wuerch led Anchorage through the shock of 9/11 and acted decisively after the tragic death of Glenn Godfrey to overhaul our E-911 system and launch Muni.org. His work ushered our city firmly into the digital age. We continue to build on the platform his administration created.
Former Mayor Mark Begich brought relentless energy to housing and neighborhood revitalization, especially in long-disinvested areas like Mountain View. His focus on economic development and celebration of Anchorage’s diversity helped lay the groundwork for ongoing community renewal. We are still benefiting from his relentlessness.
Former Mayor Ethan Berkowitz elevated Anchorage’s role in global climate discussions, hosting an Arctic-focused conference that brought President Barack Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry, along with a host of global leaders, to our city. As our bond ratings agencies and insurers remind us, we need to keep an eye on climate impacts to our bottom line. As the results of Typhoon Halong show, we were at once ahead of our time and still terribly late in realizing solutions.
Former Mayor Dave Bronson and I had our disagreements aplenty, and they are fresh enough in memory to need no recounting, but I am grateful for his singular determination to close the Sullivan Arena mass shelter. It had become arguably the largest mass shelter in the country. Nothing to celebrate. It was an unsustainable and inhumane system built out of crisis that demanded change. That decision helped Anchorage on its current path, however difficult its implementation proved.
And finally, Mayor Suzanne LaFrance brings a steady, principled commitment to good government. She is the first mayor to establish a year-round shelter for individuals experiencing homelessness, leading to better connections with individuals in need and a quicker path to housing on the other side. This breaks the annual cycle of opening and closing the shelter, which traps people in a cycle of vulnerability. Her focus on increasing housing supply, strengthening municipal function, and restoring civic trust is exactly the leadership Anchorage needs as it moves into its next half-century.
In a time when division often overshadows public service — and believe me, it is easy to lean into divisiveness — that night at the museum reminded us of something essential: across decades and ideologies, local government is supposed to be different. Anchorage’s leaders have always shared a common purpose: to serve the people of this community.
Like the last 50 years, the next 50 years of the Municipality of Anchorage will be shaped by generations of community leaders who love this city and its people. Looking across the Museum on Friday night, there was no doubting that the future is bright.
Happy Muniversary!
Christopher Constant is chair of the Anchorage Assembly.