Rick Mystrom

Mystrom was born in Minnesota in 1944 and attended the University of Colorado Boulder where he studied economics and political science. In 1964, he was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. He moved to Alaska in 1972.^[1]

In 1975, Mystrom established Mystrom/Beck Advertising. In 1982, he received the Small Business Person of the Year Award from President Ronald Reagan.^[2] In 1990, he sold his advertising business, which was later merged into the Nerland Agency.

Mystrom was elected to the Anchorage Assembly in 1979, serving until 1985.^[3] During the 1980s, Mystrom led the Anchorage Organizing Committee, which sought to bring the 1992 or 1994 Winter Olympic Games to the city.^[4][5]

In 1994, he defeated Democrat Mark Begich to succeed Tom Fink as mayor of Anchorage. In 1997, he withstood a challenge from Fink, a fellow Republican. Mystrom was widely considered the more moderate of the two Republican candidates.^{[citation needed]} In office, Mystrom emphasized crime reduction and championed the "City of Lights" beautification program, encouraging residents and employers to ornament their homes and businesses with decorative lights during Anchorage's dark winter.^{[citation needed]}

In the 2003 election, he challenged incumbent Republican mayor George Wuerch in a three-way race. Begich, who had unsuccessfully faced Wuerch in 2000, was elected.^{[citation needed]}

He has two sons, Nick and Richard, and a daughter, Jennifer, with his former wife, Mary.^{[citation needed]}