The ML&P sale could be great for Anchorage, but the process should be more open
Summary
Except for a blizzard of recent "win-win" puffery, the process to sell this valuable, publicly owned asset has been shrouded in secrecy since the Assembly urged the two utilities to talk in June. The citys ML&P Commission was even kept in the dark until the day before Mayor Ethan Berkowitz announced the proposed sale in December. Sales tax proposals requiring a supermajority, for instance, have cropped up repeatedly over the years only to be mowed down by a cranky electorate. You have to wonder why the city even bothers with a charter if it can be changed like a pair of socks to permit this political whim or that utility sale. That leaves lingering doubts among those who wonder what else the city is not telling us and perhaps are a little leery whenever government decides to pursue what is "best" for us while silencing our representatives.