Ballot boxes are waiting to be used at the Anchorage Ward Election Center on January 14, 2021. (Kavitha George / AKPM)

Many of the leading candidates for Anchorage Mayor say helping the city’s youth is a top priority.

During a recent Child and Family Forum hosted by the Alaska Children’s Trust, most candidates agreed that improving access to early education and childcare and eliminating food and housing uncertainty is essential for recovery from COVID-19 and the Future of Anchorage are important. However, their plans differ in how these goals will be achieved and funded.

Former councilor Bill Falsey, former Congregation member Bill Evans, Congregation member Forrest Dunbar, and former Mayor’s Special Assistant George Martinez all advocated quality pre-kindergarten access and affordable childcare.

“The lack of affordable childcare is a big driver of income inequality,” said Bill Evans. “It’s also a big driver of gender equality issues. We have to find a way to solve this. “

Evans said the city budget was too dependent on property taxes and touched upon the idea that Anchorage should consider alternative forms of income to fund access to childcare.

Falsey was a little more explicit in his plan for a universal pre-K that would use both federal funding and an electoral measure that he estimated would cost $ 50 million.

“Most of the missing local infrastructure is affordable, voluntary, pre-K,” Falsey said, arguing that the lifelong benefits of investing in pre-K for young children outweigh the initial cost of the program. “It’s a good part of why I’m running for mayor.”

Dunbar said he will work with the school district to expand pre-K options and prioritize the city’s most vulnerable children. He also suggested providing parental leave and childcare for city workers whenever possible.

“The community is one of the largest employers in the city and needs to set the standard for how valued parents are in the workplace,” he said.

Martinez proposed an election initiative to allocate a portion of the city’s marijuana tax to fund pre-K investments.

Robbins was more ambivalent about expanding Pre-K, arguing that the focus should be on improving the quality of education for existing students.

“We’re not providing the right education to the children we already have, he said. “It’s really important that we look at the type of education we offer our children, whether they are five or 15 years old. I think I support early education. I’m not sure if I could support Pre-K. “

Another front runner, Dave Bronson, was absent from the forum. Candidates Heather Herndon and Jeffrey Brown also attended.

Food and housing insecurity is another problem affecting the youth in Anchorage, which Martinez pointed out was a problem before COVID-19.

“We have always had people with food who have had problems with insecurity. [Anchorage] It’s incredibly difficult to live in this city if you don’t have certain privileges or access, ”he said.

Even so, most of the candidates admitted that access to food and housing is central to post-pandemic economic recovery.

Robbins said getting people back to work and reducing unemployment will help address food and housing insecurity issues.

Martinez, Falsey and Dunbar stressed the importance of making local aid and federal services like SNAP and WIC more accessible, especially for people with language barriers.

“Too often, the people who need help most are the ones left behind in aid programs, either because the program is difficult to access or because they don’t even know what resources are available,” said Dunbar, adding that his administration did so do provide contacts for residents with disabilities or language barriers that may prevent them from accessing resources.

Falsey, Evans and Dunbar also emphasized the need for more affordable housing in Anchorage. Falsey pointed to his work to incentivize construction in the city center and along the transit corridors. Evans proposed licensing and development reforms. Dunbar referred to his work on the gathering to promote additional housing units and invest in renewable energy to reduce energy bills.

Check out the full candidate forum here.

According to the city clerk’s office, voters should receive their ballot papers for the upcoming elections by Monday, March 22nd. The postal vote will take place on April 6th.