Dave Bronson Wants It Rough. Give It to Him. Hard.
Dave Bronson has emerged from his brief retirement with a victim complex and a run for the governorship. His new website invites Alaskans to air their grievances so he can pivot from failed leader to persecuted disruptor.
In the annals of political rehabilitation, there is usually a period of quiet reflection. A time for a disgraced, former failed leader to retreat to the woods, write a memoir nobody buys, and pretend to learn from their catastrophic errors. But Dave Bronson, Anchorage’s most notorious "former," has never really been one for introspection.
The man who turned Anchorage municipal governance into a multi-year performance art piece on dysfunction, cronyism, and other "isms" has emerged from his brief, aborted stint as airport manager. And in a twist that would be hilarious if it weren't so exhausting, he is running for governor. No, really, it's true.
His vehicle for this ill-advised return? WhoHatesDave.com, which styles itself as an exercise in "radical transparency," inviting Alaskans to submit their "rumors" and "mean tweets" so ONLY DAVE HIMSELF can address them. It is a masterclass in cynical branding and a mostly sad and pathetic attempt to reframe his documented incompetence as the scars of a "disruptor" battling the "haters" and presumably, the deep state, which Bronson believes is a real thing.
Anyway, let me not mince words in the service of politeness: This is a grift, and the sheer, unmitigated gall here is breathtaking. This is the man who presided over "Snowmageddon," leaving our streets impassable while he warred with the Assembly over his inability to follow basic hiring laws. This is the guy whose own inner circle dissolved into a puddle of whistleblower lawsuits, gender discrimination claims, hostile workplace allegations, and six-figure settlements that taxpayers footed the bill for.
Naturally, since he did such a shit job as mayor, Dave has decided the only job he is qualified for is running the entire state.
Bronson is banking on our collective amnesia. He hopes that a 'sophisticated WordPress website' and a "mean tweets" gimmick will distract us from the reality that his leadership was expensive, embarrassing, and dangerous.
Still...with his stupid website, Bronson has given us a direct line and, foolishly, opened the floodgates. I suggest we march right through them. He wants to hear from you? Oblige him. But do not give him the "hate" he craves to fuel his martyrdom narrative. Give him the cold, hard receipts.
Go to his website. Fill out his little form. Remind him of the days when you couldn't leave your driveway. Ask him to itemize the legal payouts incurred by his administration. Maybe you have questions about Joseph Gerace, DocuSign envelopes, or WEKA Medical and its associated taxpayer-funded stay at the former Golden Lion hotel. Perhaps you want to know why Dave really appointed Judy Eledge to the public library and have questions about that mysterious and elusive Robert Hudson guy! Maybe you want to know whether his wife was put onto the library board explicitly to ban books - and maybe, just maybe, you want to know why she is still there, and whether she is spying for Dave.
Ask him about the library. Ask him about the fluoride. Ask him how those penis cookies tasted. Ask him about the Stars of David, his Hitler wasn't always so bad letter, and do not hold back. He wants a conversation? Fine. Overwhelm him with the undeniable reality of his record. He wants to know who hates Dave? Let's show him who remembers Dave. Let him have it.
