FULL BIO:

In the summer of 2006, John Aronno found himself unemployed and uninspired. Freshly free from the grip of the music industry, as the former front man of the bands Thought Crime, Sleep in Fame, and Measure Red, he now found himself in new territory – no longer touring, meeting new people and hearing their stories every night, he now found himself with no direction, crashing in his parents’ basement.

A change was needed. Desperately.

Aronno had always been curious about Alaska, and found himself thinking about the Greatland on a daily basis. California had provided him a brilliant backdrop for his childhood. But now, the summer’s triple digit temperatures and seemingly nonexistent offerings of hope for the future became a cumbersome weight that needed to be lifted.

Embarrassed by the reputation California had gained after years of a Hollywood actor playing Governor, John threw caution to the wind, tossed his dog in the car, and headed north. At least, he thought, he would never be made fun of for living in a state overshadowed by an overbearing, ego maniacal political figure who knew nothing about policy.

He found employment at a local bookstore in Anchorage, found an apartment, and began to lay the foundation for the next chapters in his life.

In the summer of 2007, upon a mutual friend’s urging, John and his then-girlfriend became involved with a local ordinance that would extend equal protection under the law to the LGBT community. What seemed like an uncontroversial matter erupted into a summer long fight over Anchorage’s AO-64, and also inspired Aronno to commit to community activism – as a blogger, organizer, and a whole slew of other titles.

Horribly incapable of obeying nine-to-five working conditions, and always hungry for new opportunities and adventures to entangle himself in, John continues to wear many hats – often at the same time. Fashion has never been his gig.

John is a blogger, and founder of, Alaska Commons, working alongside his wife and many other contributors to provide insight into local and state issues and politics, with an emphasis on community, as well as offering an opinion or two on national stories.

He was the recipient of the 2010 Alaska Press Association’s Suzan Nightengale Award for Best Columnist in a small paper for his work with UAA’s the Northern Light, was a former co-host of Studio 1080 on Alaska’s Voice: KUDO 1080am, a semi-regular guest host on the Shannyn Moore Show on KOAN 1020am, contributor to the Anchorage Press, the Alaska Dispatch, the Mudflats, and Bent Alaska.

John Aronno works to blend the horrors of his intimate experiences with the music industry with its only equal in all things ugly: politics. His beliefs center around the idea that all politics is local – the more local the more effective. We all have a responsibility to add our voices to the discussion, and a patriotic duty to always keep close to heart the notion that we’re all in this together.

John is a current Political Science Major at the University of Alaska Anchorage, and former President of the Alaska Young Democrats. He resides with his wife, Heather Aronno, in Anchorage, Alaska, and is currently in his backyard playing fetch with his dogs: Trillian, Sage, and Wash.

SHORT BIO:

John Aronno is a blogger at Alaska Commons, recipient of the 2010 Alaska Press Association’s Suzan Nightengale Award for Best Columnist in a small paper for his work with UAA’s the Northern Light, former co-host of Studio 1080 on Alaska’s Voice: KUDO 1080am, guest host on the Shannyn Moore Show on KOAN 1020am, contributor to the Anchorage Press, the Alaska Dispatch, and Bent Alaska, former touring musician as the front man of the bands Thought Crime, Sleep in Fame, and Measure Red, current Political Science Major at UAA, and former President of the Alaska Young Democrats. He resides with his wife, Heather Aronno, in Anchorage, Alaska, and is currently in his backyard playing fetch with his dogs.