Anchorage police members elect Anthony Henry to police and fire pension board

Active and retired Anchorage police members have elected Anthony "Tony" Henry as their representative to the board that manages their pensions. Henry took 115 of the 119 votes cast. The remaining four ballots were one write-in and three invalid votes. The seat is not yet secured. Mayor Suzanne LaFrance has forwarded the appointment to the Anchorage Assembly, which is asked to confirm Henry at its regularly scheduled Aug. 4 meeting.

Ballots went out to all active and retired police members of the retirement system on March 31 and were counted May 27, according to a memorandum from Edward Jarvis, director of the Anchorage Police & Fire Retirement System. The board certified the results the same day. Henry would succeed Everett Robbins, whose term expired June 30. The term is designated to begin July 1 and run through June 30, 2029.

The system provides retirement benefits to eligible members of the Anchorage Police Department and Anchorage Fire Department. Those members depend on the Board of Trustees for decisions on benefit levels, funding status and investment policy. Who sits on such boards has drawn wider scrutiny in Alaska. Public employee and teacher unions have sued Gov. Mike Dunleavy over vacant seats on the state's pension-management board, arguing that unfilled seats undermine oversight and weaken workers' representation in decisions about their retirement benefits.

In his candidate statement, Henry said he has attended the annual investment review conference to prepare for the board's fiduciary duties. He joined the police department in 1992 and retired at the rank of lieutenant.