(To be fair the Mayor does not say "NO" to everything. For instance when some attractive young women want to have their picture taken with him and give him the opportunity to cup one of their asses the answer is "YES, YES, YES!")
From ADN:Call him a man standing by his principles, or view him as uncompromising, but Mayor Dan Sullivan, in office a shade more than a year, is already earning a reputation as a mayor comfortable with the veto.
He's used his power to say "no" 10 times to Anchorage Assembly actions, according to the city clerk's office. That's a higher annual rate than the four mayors before him -- Matt Claman, Mark Begich, George Wuerch and Rick Mystrom -- though no match for Anchorage's veto king, 1988-1994 Mayor Tom Fink. Fink issued an average of almost one veto every two weeks -- more than 150 altogether.
"I think his style is more authoritarian-executive," Anchorage Assembly chairman Dick Traini said about Sullivan. "He just decides 'I want to do this. I'm going to do it.' ... It's not right or wrong, just the way we are."
"He's got a philosophy that he's very true to," said Jennifer Johnston, an Assembly member who says she agrees with Sullivan's approach to the budget.
No doubt the fact that the Assembly majority is not politically aligned with the conservative mayor contributes to his veto decisions. The majority on the Assembly is more centrist or liberal than the mayor on many issues.
Sullivan could not be reached to talk about the issue.
The problem with Sullivan is that he believes, much like Sarah Palin, that being mayor of a city is akin to being the monarch. He acts with complete impunity and cares little for the consequences because if anybody calls him on his lack of communication and authoritarian attitude, he just screams "partisanship" or blames the media.
"Sullivan could not be reached to talk about the issue?" Why? He is the mayor of the city, and the city's ONLY newspaper wants to talk to him about a story they are writing about the job he is doing, and he is TOO BUSY to answer their questions?
That is NOT the response of a man who cares about how his decisions impact the city. That is NOT the response of a man who wants to communicate to the citizens of Anchorage and let them know why he vetoed funds for a new police training academy, or street repair, or a new ambulance. That is NOT the response of a man who takes his job seriously and realizes that he works for the people of this city, and that they are NOT merely his royal subjects.
Gee maybe he would be willing to answer questions if they were posed by a cute blond reporter who let him cup her ass while he was being interviewed? Yeah I think if that were the case his majesty would have been "up" for a couple of questions. Don't you?
Gryphen - I may be wrong, but I think your photo shows Sullivan with his wife and daughters. So, he's not cupping a blond reporter's bottom, he's cupping his daughter's. Eeewww.
ReplyDeleteDarn, wish your witness to the event had been able to take a photo. Sarah just sounds so delightful - waxed silver.
ReplyDeleteThat's about the only way she could shine.
Gosh, when will that woman dress appropriately? She can afford consultants and better clothes.
Of course, someone must have given her advice (bad advice though) about plastic surgery. It is almost sad that she's abandoned her own natural looks - though all that hate and bitterness was ruining things. Trouble is, it's coming through the new face as well. What a waste of money. Better that she'd spent money on a personality makeover and taken a few speech and civics classes (not with Beck, though).
Those are not his daughters or wife, those are girls at UAA who hold office in the Young Republicans club.
ReplyDeleteThis past year, my 16 year old daughter did an internship through her school at KTUU. On one occasion she had to go with a reporter to an interview with Dan Sullivan and was told to watch her backside.
The reporters and camera people told her that he is well known for drinking to much with a propensity to follow with making a pass.
So our local tv personalities know about his "problem" and never report on it.
So he got to keep the very questionable $93,000 insurance windfall,eh? I read that whole
ReplyDeletestory when it came out & it sure
didn't look like he was entitled to
that sum, just the portion the family had paid into the insurance fund.
It doesn't make sense he got that amount. More political sleeze, &
he's being praised for the number of
things he's vetoed that the people
wanted, like an ambulance & library
funds.
Sharon TN