EP 083 with Anchorage Assembly member and Anchorage mayoral candidate Forrest Dunbar

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In this episode, Cody has a conversation with Anchorage Assembly member and Anchorage mayoral candidate Forrest Dunbar. Forrest’s introduction to local politics came in 2002, right after he graduated high school, when he interned for Frank Murkowski—who, at the time, was a United States Senator from Alaska. Before becoming a member of the Alaska Assembly, he was the Vice President of the Scenic Foothills Community Council. In 2016, Forrest joined the Anchorage Assembly. Since then, he has served as a member, Vice Chair and Chair. More recently, he’s been gearing up to run for the mayor of Anchorage. If elected, he says that his focus will be on economic recovery and economic development.

Forest points to his grandmother as his biggest inspiration. She survived the Holocaust and then went on to get a PHD in chemistry despite the gender barriers of the time. In her 50s, she went back to school to become a nurse, which is what she worked as for the next 20 years. Her life story—her determination, her intelligence and what she went through and ultimately became—continues to guide Forrest in all aspects of his life.