Tom Fink

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Tom Fink (born 1928) is a "semi-retired" Republican politician in Alaska. He was Mayor of Anchorage from 1987-1994.

Thomas A. Fink was born in Peoria, Illinois in 1928. He received a Bachelor of Science from Bradley University in 1950, and a J.D. from the University of Illinois Law School in 1952.

He moved to Anchorage, Alaska in 1952, and has worked as a life insurance salesman since 1958.

He was elected to the Alaska House of Representatives in 1967, and became Speaker of the House in 1973. In 1975, he resigned in protest of a new law that would have required him to release a list of his insurance clients. [1]

In 1982, he mounted an unsuccessful bid to succeed term-limited Republican Governor of Alaska Jay Hammond. He ran on a platform promoting the relocation of the state capital from Juneau to Willow, but was defeated by Democrat Bill Sheffield. [2]

In 1986, he was elected Mayor of Anchorage in the wake of a dramatic drop in the price of oil which devastated the local economy.

During his term in office, he advocated the sale of ATU, the municipal telephone utility. [3]

In 1993, Fink received national attention for his stance on gay rights when he vetoed a municipal ordinance that would protect city employees from discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. [4] The same year, he called for the cancellation of funding for a local theater group that included homosexual themes. [5] In both cases, he was overridden by the Anchorage Assembly.

In 1997, after sitting out one term, he returned to politics to mount an unsuccessful challenge to incumbent Republican mayor Rick Mystrom.

Fink wrote a weekly newspaper column, and became known for his trademark bowtie.

He has 11 grown children with his wife, Pat.