Bronson real estate pick faces uphill confirmation battle

Longtime Save Anchorage member Jim Winegarner made his foray into Anchorage politics when he served as a deputy treasurer of the Independent Expenditure group, Building Alaska. According to data taken from the Alaska Public Offices Commission (APOC), Winegarner gave a combined $5,100 to Building Alaska, a largely pro-Mike Robbins independent expenditure group that also ran odd ads featuring a former pro basketball player opposing Forrest Dunbar in the Anchorage mayor’s race.

Winegarner was a deputy treasurer of Building Alaska from its first filing in February 2021 until August 2021. He is no longer listed in the group’s most recent September 2021 filings.

Christina Hendrickson, incoming Mayor Bronson’s pick as real estate director, who the Assembly confirmed in August, was fired on September 16 after less than three months on the job. Hendrickson was fired after filing a whistleblower complaint with the Assembly alleging that Bronson administration officials had improperly placed Winegarner in a position within her department. She has since filed a lawsuit against Mayor Bronson and members of his administration.

Hendrickson’s lawsuit alleges that Craig Campbell told Adam Trombley, who told Ms. Hendrickson that Mr. Winegarner would be the Executive Director of the HLB and that they would seek funding because this was a campaign promise.

Winegarner, who had recently been removed as a listed deputy treasurer of Building Alaska, was appointed by Mayor Bronson as Hendrickson’s replacement on the day of her firing.

Building Alaska’s Facebook page, where Winegarner is listed as a top donor, heavily promoted the campaign (such as it was) of Mike Robbins, shared anti-critical race theory posts, and ran a video ad attacking Forrest Dunbar. The video featured Jahidi White, who had a short career in the NBA and appeared as a non-speaking hulking alien warrior intent on destroying all life on Earth in a 2007 Sci-Fi original film.

The ad featuring White, who grew up in St. Louis, falsely accused Dunbar of closing down Anchorage’s court system, which the ad claimed left prisoners in jail due to COVID-related emergency orders. In reality, of course, neither Dunbar nor the Anchorage Assembly has any control over what the state’s court system does. The decision to delay the trials of incarcerated people was a decision made by the State Court system.

The Building Alaska Facebook page also shared Must Read Alaska blog posts alleging that Dunbar criticized a coffee stand owner for not being progressive enough and another related to an attempt to recall Dunbar while he was actively running for Anchorage mayor, which likely tells us all we need to know about why Mayor Bronson appointed Winegarner.

The Anchorage Assembly will vote on whether or not to confirm Winegarner as real estate director at tonight’s Assembly meeting.