Public Local 71 Clarifies Position on Mayoral Election in Response to Bronson Mailer

Local 71 issued a statement yesterday clarifying its position on the upcoming Anchorage mayoral election. The statement comes after a Bronson mailer quoted Todd Peplow, in which Local 71 said “constituted an unauthorized and invalid endorsement, which must be corrected.”

Jordan A. Adams, the Business Manager of Local 71 wrote in a statement sent to the Bronson campaign, that “Public Employees Local 71 has not endorsed your candidacy, and I must correct this misinformation publicly.”

Adams said in his statement that by utilizing his official title and purporting to speak for “hundreds of union members,” Peplow had violated their LIUNA candidate discussions and accepted procedures, as well as the expressed direction of both their Executive Board and General Membership, noting that it was the union’s understanding that Bronson was “not seeking union support.”

Local 71’s statement says that Forrest Dunbar:

Has consistently supported the essential work provided by our members employed by the Municipality of Anchorage and actively sought to improve their working conditions and workplace rights. He has attended our general membership meetings to invite dialogue and answer hard questions. And, he has initiated contact seeking our support, which was relayed to our members when we explained why we had dispersed $1,000.00 to his election campaign in a letter to members this March.

Local 71 Clarifies Position on Anchorage Mayoral Election

Adams also wrote that the only arguments Mr. Peplow has brought to the union’s membership to deny Mr. Dunbar support have been “based on his personal non-union issues related to the lifestyle and actions of Mr. Dunbar’s family.”

Adams closed his clarifying statement by writing that he hoped the correspondence would “provide an explanation for our need to publicly clarify that your candidacy has NOT been endorsed by our union.”

You can read Local 71’s full letter to the Bronson Campaign here.