Mark Begich in 2008-2011 Mayoral State of the City addresses
On Budget & Economy:
Closed $33M budget gap without using one-time reserves
When I became mayor in 2003, we inherited a $33 million budget gap. The state had eliminated community assistance and the city was dipping into one-time cash reserves to pay for on-going functions. To fill that gap, we cut services, asked city workers
to forego already negotiated raises and banned the use of one-time reserves for routine operations.Since 2004, Anchorage has received nearly $60 million in state community assistance. We’ve applied every penny for property tax relief.
Source: 2008 State of the City Address
Jul 28, 2008
On Drugs:
Prevent youth from trying the deadly drug methamphetamine
While we know the long-term solution to youth violence is a safe and constructive environment, we’ve got zero tolerance for violence and gangs. Working together, federal, state and local law enforcement agencies have helped indict
39 hard-core criminals, resulting in total prison sentences of more than 180 years on gang, gun and drug charges.
Thanks to our congressional delegation, we recently received a nearly 400,000-dollar grant to continue our Tri-Borough initiative to prevent Alaska youth from ever trying the deadly drug--methamphetamine.
One of the anti-meth TV spots we produced through Porcaro Communications was recently recognized for a national Telly Award, selected from among 13,500 international entries.
Source: 2008 State of the City Address
Jul 28, 2008
On Jobs:
Anchorage employment grew by 800 jobs since Jan. 2008
If you attended last week’s Anchorage Economic Development Corporation forecast lunch, you heard that Anchorage’s employment grew by more than 800 jobs in just the first five months of this year.
Source: 2008 State of the City Address
Jul 28, 2008
On Technology:
Invest in Port of Anchorage & pedestrian-friendly downtown
Those of you who work downtown have been tip-toeing through the obstacle course of closed streets and sidewalks as we invest in new pedestrian-friendly, ice-free sidewalks. When completed in September, these projects will allow residents and visitors
alike to enjoy our key downtown amenities especially designed for our winter city. Numerous other improvements are underway:- A more inviting Town Square, with better drop-offs for the Performing Arts Center.
- $750 million 60-acre expansion of th
Port of Anchorage, which serves 80% of Alaskans and handles 90% of all consumer goods sold north of Cordova.
- To relieve congestion, we’ve stepped up our investment in road, drainage and trail improvements from $30 million five years ago to
$92 million this year.
All this development continues to stimulate the creativity of private developers who are eager to build new housing, retail and office space.
Source: 2008 State of the City Address
Jul 28, 2008
Page last updated: Jun 01, 2021