Anchorage Assembly Work Session to Interview Youth Representative Candidates - August 8, 2025
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Anchorage Assembly Work Session to Interview Youth Representative Candidates - August 8, 2025
The Anchorage Assembly held a work session on August 8, 2025, to meet and interview candidates for the Assembly's youth representative and alternate positions. The session took place from approximately 1:01 PM to after 3 PM (based on the initial timestamp). Assembly members introduced themselves and then heard from four of five invited finalists (out of 10 applicants). The candidates each came from a different Anchorage area and school. Assembly members asked questions about the candidates' backgrounds, views on youth issues, transportation habits, personal aspirations, and commitment to attend regular Tuesday evening meetings from 5 PM to up to 11 PM. The chair and vice chair will make the final selection soon, with training and mentoring to follow.
Candidate Introductions & Statements
- Kennedy Bowser – Judy Art High School (Girdwood area). She is involved in student government, National Honor Society, and environmental club. She highlighted issues of emotional instability and pressure on high schoolers, and the need for better mental health resources and youth centers.
- Martin Backson – West Anchorage High School (Scary Button area – likely a neighborhood). He has limited government experience but wants to learn and be a communicator between peers and local government, especially on mental health issues.
- Bill Marsh – South High School (South Anchorage). He has experience in martial arts, international youth leadership (WLC), National Honor Society, mock trial, and EcoFriends. He emphasized inclusiveness, discipline, and ambassadorship.
- Steph Thompson – Highland Academy Charter School (Boot Letters Cove, downtown). She serves on the South Ocean Community Council executive board, the Historical Preservation Commission, and leads the Oscar Anderson Restoration Project. She is an advocate for ALS awareness and mental health among youth. She noted many youth feel detached and do not see themselves in the future.
Discussions & Key Questions
Assembly members asked a series of questions. Highlights include:
- Curiosity about city policies: Kennedy asked about homelessness solutions. Martin asked about rural education and fiber connectivity. Bill asked about expanding outreach to teach youth about government. Steph asked how mental health intersects with other issues like homelessness and education.
- Policy testimony opportunity: Asked what recent assembly policy they would have spoken on. Steph referenced a contentious ordinance that criminalized homelessness (likely AO 2024-49 on camping), saying a youth perspective could have added nuance and compassion. Others did not have a specific item.
- Why youth don’t see themselves in the future: Martin cited rising housing costs and inflation. Bill said youth lack visible leadership roles. Kennedy said mental health crisis and negative news erode hope. Steph blamed cuts to extracurriculars in schools that give students purpose.
- Excitement about Anchorage: Bill highlighted hiking and wildlife. Steph praised the “magical and majestic” environment and the responsive leadership in the assembly. Kennedy loved music concerts and community theater. Martin valued Anchorage’s unique urban-wildlife blend and diversity.
- Transportation (multimodal): Several use Route 10 bus, Chester Creek trail, walking, skateboarding, running, or biking. Bill noted he runs to school and mentioned public transit fears among peers. Steph uses the bus and bike trails heavily. Martin bikes from East Anchorage to Northwood Elementary using Chester Creek trail. Kennedy walks with her mom.
- If adults could know one thing: Bill said “access is opportunity” – free bus passes for youth would increase access. Steph said “just listen” – many diverse voices want to be heard. Kennedy said students understand and care if adults communicate. Martin urged outreach to more diverse youth voices and to homeless individuals.
- Hot takes: Kennedy said the first snow is beautiful but the mud that follows is not. Steph said Anchorage has better art than any other city because it’s community-tuned. Bill said his hot take is that Anchorage is normal but special. Martin said there should be more than one representative per school. (Note: Hot takes were meant to be light-hearted.)
- Future aspirations: Kennedy wants to be a writer/actor. Bill wants to study music, go to law school, and become a public defender in the North Slope. Steph plans to study law and hopes to become attorney general in Anchorage or a diplomat; also mentioned possibly becoming a musician or anthropologist. Martin wants to be a career diplomat, possibly Secretary of State. Kennedy also mentioned wanting to be a diplomat in the Foreign Service.
- Commitment to attend Tuesday meetings: All four confirmed they could attend regular assembly meetings from 5 PM to 11 PM every other Tuesday. Bill noted his dance practices with Philippine community but the president encouraged application. Steph confirmed schedule works.
- Place that feels like home (not home or school): Kennedy said Anchorage Community Theatre (ACT). Steph said Delaney Park Strip (for festivals and performances). Bill said Okamoto’s School Karate dojo. Martin said the Anchorage Museum.
Key Outcomes
- No formal votes were taken at this work session. The chair and vice chair will select the youth representative and alternate from among the candidates and notify everyone soon.
- Program staff from the Ombudsman’s office (Ms. McGraw and Ms. Chen Provent Lawson) were thanked for recruitment and program support. The program will continue in 2025-2026.
- The youth advisory commission was also acknowledged as a parallel opportunity for youth engagement.
Meeting Transcript
We go ahead and come to the word. Hello, everybody. Somebody clock study 101 p.m. Today's Friday, August the 8th. We're here on a work session to meet our potential youth representatives. Four of five actors were invited to this conversation. Before we do that, we'll do our assembly member introductions for the record, and then we will begin. So uh sorry, this is my team. Aaron Albany. Yarn Silvers and Robin. Christopher Constant. Do we have anyone on the phone? So in order to make the microphones work, you press the button and the green light comes on. You don't have to hold the button. But once you're doing my time, your mic is hot. And then when you're done talking, press it again. That will be turns off. They're pretty sensitive mics. And so if you push from your inner monologue, it may pick up on the record forever. So just be wary. So welcome everybody. The title of the work session today is meet and greet with assembly members of youth represent the candidates. And if you want to get the queue members or ahead, you know, maybe on some new text. And thank you, everybody, for being here. It's time to select next year for this next session. It's assembly youth representatives. Purpose today is to get some candidates for assembly's youth representative alternate positions. The selection responsibility falls to me in partnership with the vice chair, but on the process set out by my predecessor, then assembly chair of France, now mayor. We've invited the candidates to spend time with us so that we can all hear the from the prospective candidates. We have 10 applicants this year, which is a great number of us. It takes a lot of work to get those applications in, and this year we have 10. And we were able to sort it down to five. And today we have four of those five. Each one is from a different area in Anchorage, and of course, in a moment, tell us where they're from, and why they're here. And as a reminder, youth represent an alternative alternate term for the upcoming school year when we see with the sums of regular and special meetings. They may join committees and participate in work sessions and informal meetings as their calendars allow. I don't think we really had much participation by uh youth members at the committee's level or session level. I would know if Mr. Mollen has arrived as well. So each youth member who we selected would receive all the same materials assembly members receive regular special meetings, and our preference will vote on each item up for vote except for marijuana and alcohol related items. The selected candidates will receive training orientation and ideally be matched with assembly members as mentors and assembly members are interested in meeting a mentor. We'll have that talk later. So now we'll go ahead and do just a name introduction, briefly say your name, what school you're from, if you're on school and what part of time you're from, we'll hand it down and then we'll come back to questions. So we'll let it start. Hello, my name is Kennedy Bowser, and I'm from Gigh School, and I'm from the Google. Thank you. Hello, my name is Martin Backson. I have a AC Sandwich High School, and I love the name Scary Button. Hello, my name is Bill Marsh. I'm from South High School, and I live in the South Anchorage area.
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