Von Imhof Launches Anchorage Mayoral Bid With 'Fix and Grow' Platform

Former Alaska state senator Natasha Von Imhof launched her campaign for Anchorage mayor Friday, unveiling a two-word platform — "fix and grow" — and challenging incumbent Mayor Suzanne LaFrance, who is seeking re-election.

Von Imhof, a fourth-generation Anchorage native who represented District L in the Alaska State Senate, framed her case around population, business, and housing concerns. "A lot of young people are leaving the state," she said. "Businesses are closing their doors. We're not building enough houses. There is a problem." Anchorage has documented population pressures — net out-migration from Alaska has been a multi-year trend across multiple administrations, with causes including cost of living, economic conditions, and quality-of-life factors not reducible to a single municipal policy.

On homelessness, Von Imhof drew a contrast with the current administration. "We're going to fix homelessness for real," she said. "It's not just beds. Some folks in this town really need help." LaFrance's administration has been operating under a homelessness response framework that includes shelter expansion, the "10,000 Homes in 10 Years" housing strategy, behavioral health investment, and supportive housing grants — the substantive merits of which Anchorage residents have debated across community lines.

Von Imhof's economic-growth case rests on positioning Anchorage to capitalize on major projects already in motion or being planned at the state and federal level — the F-35 buildup at JBER, the Donlin Gold mine, the Alaska LNG pipeline, federal Department of Energy and Department of Defense awards — and arguing that the current administration isn't positioning the city to benefit from them. "I don't know if our current administration is doing anything about it," she said.

Beyond major projects, Von Imhof outlined a vision for tourism and family amenities, more roads and trails, and a long-range Knik Arm crossing connecting Anchorage to the Mat-Su Valley — a $3 billion idea she described as a "big, hairy, audacious goal." A previous Knik Arm Bridge and Toll Authority was eventually defunded after cost overruns and feasibility concerns.

The municipal election is scheduled for April 6, 2027.