Anchorage Assembly candidate Q&A: Kameron Perez-Verdia
Mar. 17—The Anchorage Daily News asked candidates for Anchorage Assembly to answer a series of issue questions. Read all of them here.
Name: Kameron Perez-Verdia — District: 3 — Age: 53 — Occupation: President/CEO, Alaska Humanities Forum, member, Anchorage Assembly — Website: kameronforassembly.com
Candidate background:
I'm a lifelong Alaskan who grew up in Utqiaġvik. My wife, Monica, works as a nurse practitioner and together we have been raising our two daughters, Isabel and Mariela, here in Anchorage. For more than 25 years, I've worked in senior leadership positions for Alaska-based organizations, including Cook Inlet Tribal Council, Catholic Social Services and APU. I served for four years on the Anchorage School Board and have served six years on the Assembly. I currently serve as president and CEO of Alaska Humanities Forum, working to strengthen communities across Alaska.
Why are you running for the Anchorage Assembly, and what makes you qualified for the job?
Over the years, I've seen the challenges our city faces — whether it's homelessness, public safety, or access to mental health services — and I believe we can do better. While we have made significant progress since I first ran in 2019, I'm running for reelection to continue finding practical, long-term solutions to the most pressing issues facing our community.
I have worked on increasing Anchorage's housing supply, investing in affordable and accessible child care, and bolstering public safety through hand-in-hand collaboration with our first responders. The work is not over, and we need experienced, dedicated leadership to get the job done.
What is the most important problem facing Anchorage? How would you address it?
We need to tackle the intertwined problems of public safety and homelessness. On the Assembly, I've led initiatives to improve public safety and mental health crisis response. I've championed efforts to build additional affordable housing and enhance services that connect individuals to care such as the launch of the Mobile Crisis Team. Moving forward, the Municipality must continue to work with community partners to expand transitional, workforce and affordable housing and bring an end to dangerous encampments. Drug dealing, theft and public safety concerns are impacting families and businesses, and we must take stronger action to address these issues. While not all individuals experiencing homelessness are committing crimes, many are vulnerable to criminal activity happening around them. We must continue to enforce existing laws, improve coordination between law enforcement and outreach teams and ensure that homeless individuals are connected to these services and stable housing.
Please give a letter grade, A-F, for Mayor Suzanne LaFrance's performance as mayor. Explain.
B. Mayor Suzanne LaFrance has shown strong leadership in several areas, particularly in community engagement and advocating for policies that stabilize our economy. Her efforts to improve transparency and work collaboratively with the Assembly are commendable. However, overall there will always be areas that require more immediate, bold action. While she has made progress, there's still work to be done in implementing long-term solutions to homelessness and public safety, which is something I look forward to continuing to work on as a team.
Please give a letter grade, A-F, for the performance of the current Assembly. Explain.
B. The current Assembly has made strides in addressing critical issues like homelessness and housing. However, the body as a whole has struggled to reach consensus on critical issues and has sometimes been reactive rather than proactive. There is a clear need for more decisive action and collaboration to effectively tackle the city's challenges which will be made easier under the new administration.
What's your vision for improving and diversifying Anchorage's economy?
Anchorage is facing numerous economic challenges — outmigration of working families, rising costs of housing and basic necessities and lack of new economic opportunities. Now is the time to lock in on economic rejuvenation. We need a pro-development agenda that attracts more jobs, creates a favorable environment for small businesses, provides incentives to spark economic growth and innovation, lowers barriers to entrepreneurship, and promotes thoughtful development. I am also interested in exploring alternative sources of revenue to diversify our tax base and reduce the uneven burden of taxation on some segments of Anchorage's population.
What other important issue would you like to discuss?
Education has been a cornerstone of my personal and professional life. My parents, who dedicated their careers to teaching and administration, shaped my understanding of the importance of strong schools in building strong communities. As a parent of two children currently attending public schools in Anchorage, I have a vested interest in ensuring that our public education system thrives. Moving forward, education will continue to be one of my highest priorities. I will continue to advocate for increased investments in early childhood education and our entire education system, so that teachers and students have the resources they need to succeed.
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