As Alaska Common Ground began work on our Spring newsletter, the Russian invasion of Ukraine was underway. As we continue to bear witness to unimaginable atrocities against the Ukrainian people, we are compelled to acknowledge the unjust suffering and displacement of millions. It weighs heavy on our hearts and minds, like it does yours.

Democratic principles run deep at ACG – they are core to our mission. Every day there are powerful and moving stories of Ukrainians’ efforts to defend against existential threats to their lives, homeland, and democratic values. We wish for peace, healing, and justice for the Ukrainian people as quickly as possible.

By Peg Tileston, Current and Founding ACG Board Member

Alaska Common Ground launched into its second decade with enthusiasm and energy. Relying on our knowledgeable, hard-working board of directors to plan and produce forums and other issue responses, we continued to address Alaska’s fiscal morass and took on several other major projects.

ACG sent board members to the annual Center for Budget and Policy Priorities in Washington DC for several years. The conference brought together participants to examine various states’ budgets, the variety of revenue opportunities, as well as how each dealt with difficult public policy issues. From contacts made at the conferences, ACG worked with the Institute of Taxation and Economic Policy to produce two publications dealing with Alaska’s budgetary problems: “Hard Choices” and “The Impact of Three Revenue Options for Alaska”.

Encouraging dialogue continued to be a major component of ACG’s efforts during this period. We joined with Out North Theater and the Anchorage Interfaith Alliance to develop Understanding Neighbors, funded by a grant from the Ford Foundation which supported the use of art to encourage dialogue on difficult public issues. The theme was “The Role of Same Sex Relationships in Our Community”. Over 100 Anchorage participants were engaged and organized in groups with trained moderators leading sessions. Artists produced a series of videos that were shown at the start of each session to encourage thinking about the topic in a different way. Understanding Neighbors successfully deepened the way participants were able to talk about an uncomfortable issue and ACG received high praise for its role in the project and its outcome.

Our Let’s Talk Alaska and Deliberative Democracy initiatives brought citizens together in informal, respectful settings to share ideas and concerns on issues of importance to them. And with funding from the Atwood Foundation, and in conjunction with KTUU, ACG produced a series of public service announcements “We Are Alaskans” that emphasized the importance of Alaska’s diversity and the need to work together. All told, between 2001 and 2010, ACG presented over 18 forums on a variety of subjects.

The board is concerned that a Constitutional Convention during these polarized times will be contentious, costly, and time consuming. ACG rarely takes positions on issues before the voters, but in the past has opposed a Constitutional Convention for similar reasons. We have joined Defend Our Constitution, a nonpartisan and broad-based coalition of Alaskans and Alaskan organizations to urge a “No” vote on this issue. 

If you'd like to practice ranked choice voting, you can vote on the next I Voted sticker at the Division of Elections until April 12.

Yard trimmings & food scraps make up about 1/3 of all residential solid waste. Composting helps promote community sustainability, reduces methane, and extends the life of the landfill. The program runs May through October for residents in SWS service territory in Anchorage. Click here for more information.

If you're not in the SWS service area, you can still drop off food scraps at the Central Transfer Station and the Anchorage Regional Landfill. More information about that program here.

We could not do the work we do without the support of our members! Thank you! We send out renewal requests in April and October each year. Please look for an email from us later this month. We would be grateful for your continued support. Additionally, we are transitioning this year to email donation acknowledgements and away from mailing these to you. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact Kari at info@akcommonground.org.

If you're not already a member, but you value ACG’s efforts to provide respectful and relevant events and information on policy issues of importance for Alaskans, please consider becoming a member today. Only together, will we advance an engaged Alaskan democracy. As always, we are honored to receive your support!

And please be sure to check out all the other ways to support ACG here.