I think there are six former Anchorage mayors in this picture. Tony Knowles on the far right in blue, Rick Mystrom, George Wuerch, Matt Claman (behind Weurch), Dan Sullivan in the brown jacket. And I think it's Mark Begich barely visible between Mystrom and Wuerch. Here's another of Begich later.
And they're watching Anchorage's oldest living mayor (well, actually mayor of the former Borough of Anchorage) Jack Roderick swearing in Anchorage's newest mayor Ethan Berkowitz.
Click to make bigger and clearer
Of the living mayors, I didn't see Tom Fink, and the ADN says he was absent. Fortunately, the predicted rain was also absent with the sun attending instead.
On a beautiful, but nippy morning (our outdoor thermometer said -16˚F (-26˚C), I drove (yeah, I know, too wimpy to ride my bike) downtown to see the transition in Municipal leadership as Mayor Begich resigned so he can be sworn in Tuesday as our new US Senator and Assembly Chair Matt Claman stepped up to become our Acting Mayor.
Today's numbers give Mark Begich enough votes to win the Alaska Senate seat. We do some things right.
From the Anchorage Daily News:
MICHAEL R. BLOOD 11/18/08 9:22 PM EST AP ANCHORAGE, Alaska — Sen. Ted Stevens, the longest serving Republican in Senate history, narrowly lost his re-election bid Tuesday, marking the downfall of a Washington political power and Alaska icon who couldn't survive a conviction on federal corruption charges. His defeat to Anchorage Mayor Mark Begich moves Senate Democrats closer to a filibuster-proof 60-vote majority. Stevens' ouster on his 85th birthday marks an abrupt realignment in Alaska politics and will alter the power structure in the Senate, where he has served since the days of the Johnson administration while holding seats on some of the most influential committees in Congress. The crotchety octogenarian built like a birch sapling likes to encourage comparisons with the Incredible Hulk, but he occupies an outsized place in Alaska history. His involvement in politics dates to the days before Alaska statehood, and he is esteemed for his ability to secure billions of dollars in federal aid for transportation and military projects. The Anchorage airport bears his name; in Alaska, it's simply "Uncle Ted." Tuesday's tally of just over 24,000 absentee and other ballots gave Begich 146,286, or 47.56 percent, to 143,912, or 46.76 percent, for Stevens.
After a couple of long posts, I get to do a short one. Just a few shots from yesterday. After class, I stopped at the UAA library to get the Levi-Strauss books and ran into this old friend. I got to see this Steven Gordon painting everyday when my office was in the library building in with ISER. That was before the library was expanded. It was nice to see it again - still in the library building. Gordon manages to capture the look and feel of the trees here. I mean, it's just a bunch of trees, right? No, it's much, much more than that. (I thought about cropping the chair out of the picture. It really messes up the balance badly. But, it's part of the environment of the picture now. And this is supposed to be a fast post.)
Then back home with my treasures. It was gratifying to see that I'm not the only one still using my bike. While I'm not riding with the frequency of the summer, at least to the University and back isn't too far and the paths are well maintained. I was also glad to see in the ADN yesterday that the city has put up new bike racks. I'm curious to see what they got. Not all bike racks are equal. Some are almost impossible to use, but the ones here are good. It says $17,000 for 13 bike racks, which sounds steep. But each rack should accommodate 5-10 bikes which would come to $130-$260 per bike space. It also included two bike boxes - I saw some of those in Portland - which I'm sure are much more expensive. But, compared to car parking spaces, it's a great deal. And if bikers had better spaces to ride (the trails are nice, but only if they go where you are going, and the ones along the streets can be pretty bumpy) and safely lock their bikes, more people would bike, even in winter. Then we needed a Thai fix, and ran into our mayor, whose suspense over the election might end today. He was picking up take out with his son at the Thai Kitchen. Of course, he can't do this without talking to everyone. I wonder how long it will take, if all goes well, for everyone in DC to know who he is too. A little more time than it took Sarah I'm sure.
Tonight at UAA, Ted Stevens and Mark Begich debated videotronically and Don Young and Ethan Berkowitz debated live at the Wendy Williamson Auditorium. KTUU's John Tracy moderated.
I wish the rest of the country could see the debate. It wasn't great. But all the participants knew their subject matter in depth and debaters were civil to each other. The country would see that Alaskans DO NOT talk with a Beverly Hillbillies twang. They can address the questions they're asked knowledgeably.
The Stevens/Begich debate was a little peculiar since Stevens was in DC and so both candidates had been interviewed earlier and we watched that hour on a large screen. Both John Tracy (the moderator) and Mark Begich were in the Auditorium watching themselves on screen.
Stevens showed his age as he frequently stuttered getting the right word out. But his cognitive processes were intact. He knew exactly what he wanted to say, and while he stumbled getting the words out now and then, this is still a minor issue. He talks as though he's had three or four cups of coffee - fast and urgently. You have no doubt that he has a grasp of a lot of information and that you get in his way at your peril. Mark Begich matched him, but without the stutter, and without the coffee effect. He spoke calmly and much slower.
Don Young belied his reputation for malapropisms and spoke clearly, on topic, without rancor. He was clearly enjoying himself. Ethan Berkowitz had a moment of where he couldn't remember his next point early on and then he abandoned his notes and spoke passionately and knowledgeably the rest of the evening. He needs to loosen up a bit, though his wit came through a couple of times. At one point, when he paused, Tracy moved on to Don Young. Ethan said he wasn't finished. Tracy said,"Well, you paused so..." Ethan responded, "I paused...for effect" and the audience burst out laughing.
The topics I can recall (sorry, I wasn't taking notes) included the economic crisis, health care, earmarks, social security, energy, and whether the candidates endorsed Sarah Palin. The last was particularly significant because, Tracy pointed out in his questions, she hasn't endorsed fellow Republicans Young and Stevens. They both said they endorsed her, though in roundabout ways. The legal problems of the two Republican candidates were not raised.
There was a significant amount of agreement between both pairs of candidates - they all would open ANWR, and none would abandon getting earmarked projects for Alaska. Differnces were in things like who to blame the economic crisis on (the Republicans blamed Clinton for the bill that deregulated financial institutions, the Democrats blamed eight years of Bush.)
Tonight Congregation Beth Sholom in Anchorage, Alaska had a dinner and installation at services for our new rabbi, Michael Oblath. It was probably the first time a new rabbi has been welcomed in the Dena'ina lanaguage which is the language of the original inhabitants of the Anchorage area. He was welcomed by
Regina Boisclair, Cardinal Newman Chair, at Alaska Pacific University,
Jonathon Ross, President and CEO, Alaska Native Heritage Center (in Dena'ina language)
Marla Greenstein, President of Congregation Beth Sholom
Anchorage Mayor, Mark Begich
Alaska Governor Sarah Palin
In the service, following the dinner Rabbi Lennard Thal, Senior Vice President for Reform Judiasm, and an old friend and mentor of Rabbi Oblath installed Rabbi Oblath with warmth and wit. All in all it was a very uplifting evening. You can see and hear highlights in the brief video above.
I think there are six former Anchorage mayors in this picture. Tony Knowles on the far right in blue, Rick Mystrom, George Wuerch, Matt Claman (behind Weurch), Dan Sullivan in the brown jacket. And I think it's Mark Begich barely visible between Mystrom and Wuerch. Here's another of Begich later. 
