The Anchorage Assembly is set to consider a $75,000 spending proposal at its Tuesday meeting that would fund weekend shuttle service to grocery stores for residents of the Fairview neighborhood. The proposed spending is a surprise “laid on the table” agenda item placed at the last minute in order to prevent public participation.
Proposed by Mayor Suzanne LaFrance, the spending aims to address the community impact of the recent closure of the Carrs grocery store on Gambell Street, which shut its doors on May 10.
The store, for 50 years a neighborhood grocery and pharmacy for Fairview residents, has long been a hang out for inebriates, thieves, and vagrants. It closed due to financial losses from chronic shoplifting and due to broader public safety issues for both employees and shoppers in the area. Rather than addressing lawlessness, LaFrance and the liberal Assembly are providing shuttle services…