Anchorage Mayor Suzanne LaFrance is asking the Anchorage Assembly to approve a non-competitive, sole-source contract to one of her former campaign rivals, Bill Popp, who withdrew during the campaign in 2024 and endorsed her.
The $52,500 contract would be to develop an economic development plan for the LaFrance Administration.
Popp is the former executive director of the Anchorage Economic Development Corporation. His reputation around Anchorage is that he did little to grow the economy of Anchorage, but held a large luncheon every year to present a report to decision makers on the state of the city’s economy, which has been abysmal during his 16-year tenure.
In her request to the Assembly, LaFrance says Popp is the one to do the job and says it is not a quid pro quo arrangement.
“First, there is a pressing need to support Mayor LaFrance’s policy team in developing and implementing an economic agenda for Anchorage out of the Municipality. This work requires a person with extensive knowledge of economic development, local government, and the Municipality of Anchorage,” LaFrance said in her request.