Assembly shelves salary commission pick after questions over his firm's city contract

The Anchorage Assembly voted 10-1 Wednesday to postpone indefinitely Mayor Suzanne LaFrance's appointment of John Gregoire to the commission that sets elected officials' pay, after a back-and-forth over a city contract held by his company.

The Commission on Salaries and Emoluments sets pay for the mayor, Assembly members and school board members. Its decisions are final and apply to the next people elected, the clerk told members. At its last meeting, Sept. 3, the commission set pay for the mayor elected in April 2027 at about $183,000, up from $145,392, a member said.

Assembly Member Donald Handeland of Chugiak-Eagle River raised the issue. Gregoire's firm, Professional Growth Systems, lists past clients including "the Municipality of Anchorage, Office of the Mayor, and the Anchorage Assembly," Handeland said, and Gregoire facilitated an Assembly retreat in November 2025. Chair Anna Brawley said that was a one-time contract.

"I don't want it to, I guess, look like we are, I guess, hiring someone who, and giving them money, and then they are sitting on our salary commission," Handeland said.

Chief of Staff Susanne Fleek-Green first told members Gregoire "is not doing any consulting work for the mayor's office" and that his firm had worked for former mayors. Moments later, she came back with a clarification. "He currently is on contract, I am reminded, uh, facilitating the leadership directors training through HR," she said.

The city's contract list shows that contract at $86,899, running from Jan. 5 of this year to Jan. 5, 2027. Municipal Manager Bill Falsey said he believed the firm was chosen through a request for proposals, that the mayor's office had no part in picking it, and that "there was actually not even an awareness in the mayor's office" of the contract when Gregoire was nominated.

Municipal Attorney Eva Gardner first said she saw no "obvious conflict." Assembly Member Sydney Scott asked whether the city's Board of Ethics should weigh in. The Assembly's attorney said the board is the right body for conflict questions but couldn't speak to whether a referral was practical, noting it meets monthly and has a busy docket.

Members split on how serious it was. Assembly Member George Martinez said the commission's decisions take effect only for newly elected officials, so he wasn't sure the conflict crossed the threshold. Assembly Member Keith McCormick said, "This should have come up in due diligence, and it's a problem that it did not," and that he didn't like the optics.

Vice Chair Daniel Volland of North Anchorage then moved to postpone indefinitely, saying it gives attorneys time to research and the administration time to confirm Gregoire still wants the seat.

On that motion, Assembly Member Erin Baldwin Day pointed to Section 5.08 of the city charter, which bars members of this commission from being employed by the municipality. That "would indicate to me that contracts would also be prohibited," she said, though she was comfortable moving ahead given the charter's protections and the ethics board's review of commissioners' conflict forms.

After reading the section, Gardner said her understanding was that an ethics officer had already found no conflict under the city's ethics code, but the charter raised a separate question. "I would like a little bit of time to look back and see if we have any prior legal opinions internally on what employed means in this context," she said. She added that she wasn't aware of Gregoire having open contracts with the city. Handeland then pointed to the contract list showing the current one.

Gardner said she would have preferred a postponement to a set meeting. Brawley said an indefinite postponement doesn't stop the mayor from bringing the same appointment back.

The seat stays vacant for now. The commission likely won't meet again until January, the clerk said.