Dunbar, Quinn-Davidson, LaFrance release jobs plan details

Today, Assembly Members Forrest Dunbar, Suzanne LaFrance, and Austin Quinn-Davidson announced their jobs and economic initiative, A New Day for Anchorage, at The Launch Company, a rocketry business in Ship Creek.

The event was followed by a tourism industry roundtable hosted by Visit Anchorage, where Assembly members heard from Visit Anchorage and local tour operators on the positive impact of federal aid funds and discussed ideas to make local tourism even more successful.

The new jobs plan calls for establishing partnerships with local trades to build apprenticeship programs to meet growing workforce demand, increasing workforce housing with targeted tax incentives, supporting childcare programs that would benefit youth and help parents return to the workforce, jumpstarting industry investment and restoring vibrancy of community spaces through permit & planning fee waivers for construction, development, and events.

In a press release issued this afternoon, Assembly Chair LaFrance said of the jobs plan, "We have a vision for Anchorage, one where everyone has a safe place to call home, where there is an abundance of opportunities for workers, where local businesses are thriving, where new industries and businesses can find a place to succeed, where vibrant arts and culture are all around us, and where residents are proud of their community and invested to stay for the long-term."

Quinn-Davidson said, "as Assembly Members, we are committed to a robust economy for our community, and we have a plan to turn our vision into a reality. So today, we are excited to announce A New Day for Anchorage, which promises to build our workforce, assist local businesses, support our families, invest in our infrastructure, and make government work for you."

East Anchorage Assembly Member Forrest Dunbar said A New Day for Anchorage wasn't just a slogan.

"We've already started doing the work, and in the next few weeks, we will roll out key initiatives, such as extending the popular building permit fee holiday through 2022 and distributing another round of federal economic aid funding."

The jobs plan will soon be shared with the Anchorage Assembly, local businesses, and community leaders in the near future.