Wilson, Rotermund blame other assembly members for high crime rate, business closures
State employee Tammie Wilson, a member of the Fairbanks North Star Borough Assembly, has her own campaign organization she calls “Save the State.”
The largest donors to “Save the State” are Wilson and fellow assembly member Brett Rotermund, co-owner of Bulletproof Trailers.
Save the State from what?
It’s not a group saving the state from sleazy political ads and third-rate attempts at character assassination. Wilson started the group in 2024 with Barbara Haney, now running for the Legislature.
Tammie and Brett claim they want to do something about crime in the Fairbanks North Star Borough.
“Families deserve safe streets,” Tammie and Brett say in one of their ads, not an animal control shelter, which they are now calling a $32 million “critter castle.”
In other ads, they link family heating oil bills to the animal shelter.
If there is a false equivalency in local politics, this is it.
Tammie and Brett used to call it a “puppy palace.” The two of them have not provided any reasonable solutions to replace the rundown shelter, which handles thousands of animals a year.
A new building is expensive because it requires expensive air-handling machinery and rooms where surgeries are conducted, animals are euthanized and cremated. This project has been examined in great detail.
Brett and Tammie have discovered that the other members of the assembly are to blame for the crime rate in Fairbanks.
And the way to do something about crime is to elect more people who agree with Tammie and Brett. They want to the “team” of Josh Leaders, Shelly Shupe and Miguel Ramirez, who will bring lower bills and “safer streets.”
“Our leaders put safety first,” say Tammie and Brett.
As of today, no members of the Tammie/Brett assembly “team” have filed to run, though they have been campaigning for some time.
In addition to coddling criminals, Tammie and Brett claim that the other current assembly members are guilty of closing a local pizza place, a deli and shutting down Channel 11 News.
“They closed our businesses and renamed our parks,” Tammie and Brett whine.
It is true that the assembly resurrected the name Alaskaland. That may be stupid. But it’s not a crime.
I’m surprised that Tammie and Brett have failed to charge their political opponents with damaging the reflecting pool.
It’s important to understand that the borough does not have police powers.
The borough does not arrest people and haul them off to the state jail. It does not have a cadre of officers patrolling the streets.
The assembly has nothing to do with enforcing the law, except on specific issues such as animal control, zoning and junkyards, where Tammie and Brett are softies.
Regarding crime, the borough could acquire police powers.
Accusing Tammie and Brett of plotting to start a borough police force would be as dishonest and dumb as blaming the other assembly members for the crime rate in Fairbanks and claiming “they closed our businesses . . .”
Their tactics should be exposed and understood.
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