Berkowitz Administration Passes 60 Days, Checking Off Recommendations From Transition Committee Report

Mayor's Corner

9/10/2015

ANCHORAGE – Today, Mayor Ethan Berkowitz released a checklist of actions taken in the first 60 days of the Berkowitz Administration.  The list includes 20 completed recommendations from the Berkowitz Transition Committee report.  The committee recommended the new Administration pursue a variety of 60-day, 6 month, and 3 year goals.

“From employing a homeless coordinator in the Mayor’s office, to providing Green Dot Safety Training for Municipal employees, and working to improve employee morale we continue on a path towards a safe, secure, and strong Anchorage,” stated Mayor Berkowitz.

Over the past 60 days Mayor Berkowitz visited the Legal, Budget, CFO, Community Development, Emergency Management, Employee Relations, Equal Opportunity, Finance, Fire, DHHS, IT, Street Maintenance, Merrill Field, Municipal Clerk, ML&P, Ombudsman, Parks and Recreation, Police, Port, SWS, and AWWU divisions and departments.

“What a pleasure and honor to meet so many dedicated and hardworking Municipal employees these past two months.  I am committed to visiting every department and making sure all their contributions are valued and acknowledged,” said Mayor Berkowitz.

Mayor Berkowitz’s first 60 days have also been filled with community events celebrating the diversity of Anchorage. He participated in a cultural events such as the Tongan Fofo’anga community celebration, UAA’s Japanese Festival, the Korean Festival, the Pow-wow on the Park Strip, We Are Anchorage, and the Bridge Builders Gala.  Along with this cultural community outreach, the Mayor regularly attends community council meetings to get fresh neighborhood perspectives on the state of Anchorage.  

Looking forward towards the major internal and external economic challenges, Mayor Berkowitz formed two groups of local experts to advise and assist the Municipality.  The BEAR group formed to assist the Municipality with a potential troop draw down at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson.  After taking a dedicated pause on the SAP project, the Mayor formed an external review team to advise the Municipality on ERP implementation best practices and provide an independent analysis of the SAP project that is tens of millions of dollars over budget and years behind schedule. 

“How exciting to see an Administration and a Mayor that embraces and executes the many thoughtful recommendations from our community,” said Transition Committee Co-Chair Joelle Hall.

Additionally, Mayor Berkowitz worked with the IT department to introduce an online language translator on the municipal website, making http://www.muni.org/ accessible in 60 new languages. 

To view the checklist, click here:

http://www.muni.org/Departments/Mayor/Pages/60DayGoalCheckSheet.aspx

For more information, contact Myer Hutchinson at (907) 343-7133.

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