Donald Handeland
47 articles · 20 transcripts · 10 clips
Eagle River, Alaska 99577
Affiliations
Anchorage Assembly members push back on draft social media rules
Read literally, draft rules would bar Anchorage Assembly members from touting their records on campaign pages. Members balked. The attorney: "Not the intent."
Anchorage Assembly chair readies a plan to replace Zac Johnson if his ticket wins
The Anchorage Assembly is penciling in a December meeting to replace Zac Johnson in case he becomes lieutenant governor. The count so far leans his way.
Anchorage's water utility would cut its Eklutna hydro payments roughly in half
Anchorage's water utility would pay the Eklutna hydro owners about half as much under new deals, then could own water rights at the lake in 2055.
Anchorage Assembly to weigh mandatory penalties for public intoxication and petitions for candidates
Anchorage's Assembly takes up mandatory penalties for repeat public intoxication, signatures to run for office and a mixed-use condo tax break Nov. 17.
Anchorage Assembly members want behavioral health care on the city's list for Juneau
Anchorage's wish list for the Legislature asks for tougher drug penalties but makes no specific ask for behavioral health care. Assembly members noticed.
Anchorage proposal would replace yearly ambulance bonds with a $3.345 million levy
Anchorage has borrowed to buy ambulances for at least a decade. The mayor and an Eagle River Assembly member want voters to OK a $3.3M levy instead.
Assembly shelves salary commission pick after questions over his firm's city contract
“the Municipality of Anchorage, Office of the Mayor, and the Anchorage Assembly specifically called out”
Anchorage Assembly delays Missing Middle housing vote again, this time to Dec. 1
The Anchorage Assembly scheduled its Missing Middle housing vote for a Friday at noon, then unscheduled it. It's now Dec. 1, the second delay in four weeks.
Alcohol tax advocates ask Anchorage to put more into prevention and treatment
Groups behind Anchorage's alcohol tax say it put nothing into substance misuse treatment in 2025 or 2026, with none planned for 2027. They want a change.
Anchorage Assembly to take up renaming Eagle River Commons Park for homestead family
Eagle River's Commons Park could be renamed Pippel's Field Park, after the homestead family who farmed the land that's now downtown Eagle River.
Handeland proposes letting in-person testifiers speak before phone callers
“a common-sense adjustment”
Anchorage fire chief expects two recruit academies in 2027 as about 50 can retire
Anchorage's fire chief expects two recruit academies in 2027 as about 50 firefighters can retire. Even that may fall short, and a third costs about $2 million.
Anchorage budget office lists pool closures and bus cuts as possible options for 2028 gap
Anchorage budget office outlined cuts that could close a $15 to $30 million 2028 gap. • Options include closing 3 pools, cutting a bus route and axing 21 police community officer jobs. • None are in the 2027 budget. Assembly votes Nov. 17.
Anchorage's water utility could own the rights to most of the city's tap water in 2055
“It sounds like members want to vote on this, uh, today, so I'll rescind my motion.”
Anchorage Assembly amends proposed police surveillance rules, then runs out of time
The Assembly agreed an administrative warrant isn't enough to share surveillance data the rules bar, made it easier to pause a tool, then ran out of clock.
Downtown business leaders ask Anchorage Assembly to make police foot patrol permanent
Downtown business groups asked the Assembly to make APD's foot patrol permanent. The bed tax money paying for it is nearly gone, and the 2027 budget has none.
Anchorage School Board asks Assembly to reject electing most members by district
The Anchorage School Board voted 6-1 to ask the Assembly to kill a plan to elect most board members by district before voters ever get a say.
Anchorage proposal would let clerk start mandatory recounts before elections are certified
Anchorage wants close races recounted before anyone takes the oath, so the Assembly never swears in one winner and then has to swear in another.
Anchorage officials propose asking voters to fund an ambulance and its crew
Anchorage wants voters to buy one more ambulance for $380,000, then pay about $1.5 million a year for the crew. City officials call it a test.
Anchorage Assembly member proposes writing police surveillance limits into city charter
Anchorage Assembly member Keith McCormick wants police surveillance limits locked into the city charter, where only voters could change them, including warrant rules for tracking and biometric data.
Anchorage voters could update ballot signatures with the clerk under proposed ordinance
Anchorage voters could soon update the signature their ballot gets checked against, instead of waiting on the state. Fewer newspaper ads, too.
Anchorage weighs requiring candidates to gather voter signatures to get on the ballot
“It is just for ballot access.”
Anchorage Assembly members question plan to elect School Board by district
An Eagle River Assembly member wants most Anchorage School Board members elected by district. A board member pushed back. Voters could decide in April.
Appeals board chair says Anchorage cut most appealed values, expects more appeals
Anchorage cut values on most of a record 1,990 property appeals. The appeals board chair says few had good evidence and expects even more appeals next year.
Anchorage Assembly approves $2.8M in state money and more winter shelter beds
Anchorage spent most of its state check on shelter beds, some of them from last winter. Without it, the health director said, shelters could have closed.
Handeland proposes electing most Anchorage School Board members by district
“the time and resources needed to reach voters”
Two Assembly members propose requiring voter signatures for Anchorage candidates to get on the ballot
Two Assembly members want Anchorage candidates to gather 50 or 250 voter signatures to get their names on the ballot. The proposal is just being introduced.
Anchorage proposal would reduce required election notices and shorten post-certification livestreaming
“is unnecessary, a needless expense, and of questionable”
Anchorage police officers now must intervene when a colleague uses improper force
Anchorage police say they've acted on 48 of 52 outside recommendations on use of force, but allow one pursuit tactic at higher speeds than reviewers advised.
Anchorage service-area debate exposes unanswered questions about taxes and emergency coverage
Anchorage Assembly members questioned how service-area taxes match actual fire, emergency and parks coverage. Several answers remain unresolved.
Chugiak fire chief to ask voters this spring for first mill rate increase since 2005
Chugiak's fire calls are up 27 percent, and the chief says it is not fires driving it. It is people without a doctor calling an ambulance instead.
Anchorage candidates would need signatures to get on the city ballot
“Court challenges to these have had mixed results,”
Some Anchorage homes went a month without running water last winter
Some Anchorage homes went a month without running water last winter. Frozen lines hit triple the usual number, and thawing them is the customer's expense.
Anchorage keeps blowing past overtime budgets stuck on a 2010 baseline
Anchorage's police, fire and transit overtime again ran over budget, largely because the budgeted amounts still rest on an unadjusted 2010 baseline.
Anchorage Assembly rejects investigation into member Martinez's travel, 5-6
Anchorage Assembly rejected an investigation into Assembly Member George Martinez's travel Tuesday, 5-6, after Vice Chair Daniel Volland switched his vote citing flaws in the accusation.
Complaints against Wilson and Taylor governor campaigns question donation source, not size
Former Anchorage Assembly chair filed complaints against two GOP governor candidates. Wilson campaign received $25,000 donation listed as both company and individual, unclear which is true. Taylor campaign failed to describe $147,000 in consultant and lawyer payments beyond listing them as retainers.
Removing an Assembly member takes 94 days and a supermajority
Anchorage published the map for removing an Assembly member: 94 days, a two-thirds vote, and the city pays the accused member's legal bills either way.
Anchorage's Assembly weighs censure — or removal — of George Martinez
The Anchorage Assembly votes Tuesday on two paths for George Martinez after a state ethics order — censure and close it, or launch removal proceedings. It's never done either in 50 years.
Anchorage keeps deferring a public safety commission it can't agree on
Anchorage's proposed public safety commission got punted again — stuck on whether it should actually have power, what it would cost, and what problem it's even solving.
Anchorage Assembly approves $750K True North grant after amendments fail and crisis-care dispute divides members
Anchorage Assembly approved a $750,000 grant to True North Recovery for a Fairview behavioral health facility after rejecting two amendments that would have required written limits on crisis care.
Perjury counts detail Martinez's 63-minute Fort Lauderdale trip and evasive oath testimony
Anchorage Assembly Members filed criminal perjury charges against George Martinez over a 63-minute Fort Lauderdale trip funded by campaign money and testimony he gave under oath to state regulators.
Anchorage Assembly to consider first-ever removal proceeding against Martinez
Anchorage Assembly votes Tuesday on whether to remove East Anchorage member George Martinez over perjury, fraud, and disclosure violations, the first removal proceeding in municipal history.
Anchorage Assembly introduces resolution to initiate first-ever removal proceeding against member Martinez
The Anchorage Assembly moved to remove member George Martinez. This first-ever proceeding follows findings of perjury and ethics violations.
Anchorage Assembly unanimously passes veteran-owned business preference ordinance
Anchorage Assembly unanimously passed a veteran-owned business preference for city contracts, letting qualifying vets match the lowest bid rather than automatically winning at higher cost.
Anchorage Assembly members call on Martinez to resign after APOC ruling
Two Anchorage Assembly members called on George Martinez to resign after an APOC ruling found he willfully used campaign funds for personal benefit and lied under oath.
Two Assembly members want Martinez out. The removal law may not reach him
Two members want Martinez gone over APOC fines. The removal law they're trying to use might not be a fit, and the math to carry it out would be an uphill battle.
Anchorage Assembly reviews missing middle housing overlay for transit corridors
Anchorage has wanted denser transit corridors on paper since 2001 — this opt-in overlay is the city's latest test of whether residents actually mean it.
