Bronson concedes Anchorage mayor’s race to LaFrance

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) - Mayor Dave Bronson conceded the 2024 race for mayor Thursday morning to his challenger, Suzanne LaFrance.

LaFrance’s team announced that she had won the special runoff election Tuesday after claiming that the ballots still left to be counted were less than her lead of 5,615 votes; The Division of Election’s latest ballot count showed LaFrance leading with 42,537 votes to Bronson’s 36,922, roughly 53.5% of the vote.

While the runoff election will not be officially certified until a special Anchorage Assembly meeting on May 31, Bronson congratulated LaFrance Thursday on “becoming the next mayor of Anchorage.”

“After a long and hard-fought campaign, today I called Suzanne LaFrance to congratulate her on becoming the next mayor of Anchorage and to wish her the best as she prepares to assume the responsibility of leading our great city,” Bronson wrote in a statement.

Bronson said he is “committed to ensuring a smooth transition to Mayor-Elect LaFrance and her team.”

When the election is certified next week, LaFrance would officially take office July 1.

Bronson said in his concession statement that Anchorage faced “unprecedented challenges” when he took office in 2021, notably the COVID-19 pandemic, housing costs, and the homeless epidemic. He also pointed to his administration’s successes, including obtaining funding for the newly renamed Don Young Port of Alaska, pay raises for law enforcement, working to lower Cook Inlet energy costs in what he termed an energy “crisis,” and his efforts to keep the city budget under the tax cap.

“While there were challenges, setbacks, and even disagreements along the way, I am grateful for the dedication and hard work my administration put into serving the residents of Anchorage,” Bronson said.

Read the full letter from Mayor Dave Bronson here:

“Today, Anchorage Mayor Dave Bronson shared the following statement after calling to congratulate Suzanne LaFrance on becoming the next mayor of Anchorage.

After a long and hard-fought campaign, today I called Suzanne LaFrance to congratulate her on becoming the next mayor of Anchorage and to wish her the best as she prepares to assume the responsibility of leading our great city.

As we look back on our campaign journey, I want to express my sincere gratitude to the residents of Anchorage who placed their trust in me and my team. Your support and engagement throughout this process has truly been inspiring. While the results of this election fell short of where we had hoped, I am honored by the opportunity to have worked with so many talented and dedicated professionals in service to our community.

Reflecting on the past three years, I am extremely proud of the progress we achieved together. When I first entered office, Anchorage faced unprecedented challenges, from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, a growing housing and homelessness crisis, and various obstacles impacting our economy. Yet, through hard work and collaboration with local, state, and federal stakeholders, we made significant achievements.

We worked to revitalize downtown Anchorage, attracting investments and transforming vacant properties for economic growth. We secured critical funding for the Don Young Port of Alaska project, ensuring the long-term viability of this vital economic lifeline. We prioritized public safety by providing much-needed pay raises to our law enforcement officers. We advanced initiatives to address the energy crisis in Cook Inlet and promote sustainable development across our city. We delivered budgets well below the tax cap, ensuring fiscal responsibility. We developed new housing units and opened residential lots for Anchorage residents, while attracting over one billion dollars in commercial investment to our city.

While there were challenges, setbacks, and even disagreements along the way, I am grateful for the dedication and hard work my administration put into serving the residents of Anchorage.

As I transition out of office, I am committed to ensuring a smooth transition to Mayor-Elect LaFrance and her team. The well-being of the Municipality of Anchorage remains paramount, and I will continue to serve this community with honor and integrity until the end of my term.

In closing, I want to thank my supporters, my campaign team, and all those who believed in our vision for a stronger Anchorage. Together, Deb and I remain optimistic that our city will continue to thrive for decades to come.

May God bless Anchorage, and may we always work together to build a brighter, more resilient future for Anchorage and its residents.”

Copyright 2024 KTUU. All rights reserved.