Ex-Board Member's Brick Inscriptions Spark Controversy

0:00What's up, I'm Corey, and these are your headlines from Anchorage News Today. A former Juno school board member named Emil Mackie spent $1,000 on four bricks for a school playground fundraiser. He added inscriptions criticizing the city for favoring projects like a new city hall and a gondola over the playground. This happened amid ongoing budget struggles for the Juno school district, which faces a projected $9.5 million deficit. The playground is at the Zantiki Heeney campus, serving pre-Kindergarten through high school students. Kids there have gone without one for two years after the district consolidated middle and high schools to cut costs. The project relies on mixed funding from the district, city, and donors, and it's dragged on longer than planned. Current board members called the inscriptions childish and a nuisance during a recent meeting. They avoided naming Mackie, who served nine years and skipped reelection last fall after a failed recall attempt. Mayor Beth Welden labeled the move inaccurate and a poor use of a playground as a political stage.

1:04Mackie aimed to highlight what he sees as misplaced priorities, pointing to the assemblies 2022 gondola purchase and last years. City Hall approval, while playground talk started in 2024, he wants the bricks as a lasting reminder of accountability. For now, the city attorney says the messages are protected by the First Amendment, so the bricks will likely go in despite the backlash. The board has not pushed to fight it. Special thanks to our sponsor for supporting this episode. Your bedtime ritual just got better. Built in Sound, Built in Comfort, S-O-L-I-SoldyPillow.com