Anchorage Women's Commission invites mayor to September meeting

The Anchorage Women's Commission agreed Thursday to extend an invitation to Mayor Suzanne LaFrance to attend one of its regular meetings, likely in September or later.

The invitation follows an informal conversation between the commission chair and LaFrance at a Saturday event, where the mayor suggested she should attend a commission meeting. The chair brought the matter to the full commission rather than extending the invitation unilaterally.

"It was just a brief conversation, and it sounded like a good opportunity for us to hear more from the mayor's office, and what we could share with her," the chair said.

The chair said June was unlikely because it would be difficult to get on the mayor's calendar that quickly. The commission does not meet in July, making August or September more realistic. One commissioner suggested targeting September rather than a summer meeting.

"Make a suggestion for maybe like September, that way if we are not paying for them or something, I feel like the summer months are not, yeah, maybe when we show up our best," the commissioner said. "And I would like to try and come in person if she is going to be here in person."

A commissioner volunteered to contact the mayor's office to determine which future meeting would work with her schedule.

One commissioner suggested the chair should feel empowered to invite speakers without a formal vote, but the chair said she preferred a consent-driven approach. "I am consent-driven, and I would rather open it up for conversation because maybe there was a specific date that did not work for some people who really wanted to be there for a particular speaker or something of that nature," she said.

The commission, which advises the mayor and assembly on matters pertaining to the status of women, is still working through startup challenges. The commission currently has one vacancy and is navigating questions about establishing its own social media presence while coordinating with municipal legal staff on compliance requirements.

The commission's next meeting is June 4 at 4:30 p.m. The commission meets monthly on the first Thursday at 4:30 p.m. via Microsoft Teams and in person.