Anchorage activist files lawsuit against Assembly for Open Meetings Act violations

By
Suzanne Downing
-
37

Citizen activist Russell Biggs has filed suit in Alaska Superior Court alleging the intentional destruction of public records and illegal use of secret messaging apps by members of the Anchorage Assembly. 

Biggs, who won a Supreme Court case in 2021 against municipal clerk Barbara Jones’s unlawful rejection of the recall petition of Meg Zaletel, alleges that members Chris Constant, Meg Zaletel, Kameron Perez-Verdia, and ex-assembly member Forrest Dunbar have violated the Alaska Public Records laws by erasing the electronic communications that were sent within assembly meetings that were coordinating the vote. 

The lawsuit alleges that destruction of those records and the intentional use of secret messaging apps were an attempt to hide “serial communications” that would violate the Open Meetings Act. 

Biggs had filed two separate lawsuits last year related to Anchorage Municipal Clerk Barbara Jones’ failure to provide emails from the Assembly that involved communications with Matthew Beck, the ex-Alaska Democratic Party’s communication director who was publishing anonymous articles with the Anchorage Press that were highly critical of the recall petition. Those two suits were settled by the municipal attorney and the records were eventually produced.

“This is an important case,” Biggs said, “because Forrest Dunbar has admitted using the secret messaging App signal at the same time Chris Constant, Meg Zaletel, and Kameron Perez-Verdia were intentionally deleting public records that showed they were secretly coordinating the vote. We have proof this was happening in the Assembly meetings, and this lawsuit will start the process that will eventually hold them accountable for that.”

Biggs also stated that “deleting documents specifically to avoid discovery in court is considered spoliation of evidence and is reason for court sanctions. The 2019 federal district court ruling was clear that a litigant’s use of ephemeral messaging apps like Wickr and Signal is by itself evidence of bad faith sufficient to warrant sanctions. Forrest Dunbar is claiming that because someone tried to hack his phone he gets to completely ignore Alaska Statute and Meg Zaletel is claiming that a system update to her phone erased all of her records except the personal ones she decided to save. Ridiculous.”

The lawsuit’s claim that the records would show serial communications that violate the Open Meetings Act is a serious breach of Alaska Statute. 

A similar violation resulted in the recall of three Palmer city council members last year. 

Records show Anchorage Assembly members collude on votes, destroy evidence of secret deliberations
‘Tom Sconce’ scandal: Assembly covers up 590 pages of email trails to a fake person, a secretive blog, and the Anchorage Press

37 COMMENTS

  2. Kudos. More and more sunlight. It is the best disinfectant.

    It is good to see some lawfare used to this end.

  3. It’s high time Asssmbly members feet held to the fire. As public servants all communications need to be transparent and above board!

  4. I hope something good becomes of this. But this will probably be forgotten and dismissed by the DOJ and the judges. The best outcome would be prison and a large fine for purposely, and willfully, deceiving the public voters. They are liars and have spent moneys unnecessarily on personal endeavors.

  6. He doing what a Man does, he working toward correcting the mistakes of other leaders instead of running away because of disappointment last wednesday. I know there are more men like him and some women too. What good hirelings,
    the master’s employees, they protect the sheep and lambs from thieves and predators. A bad worker runaway, saving himself, endangering his
    master’s flock to thieves and predators. After disappointment mr. Biggs continues his
    work and encouraging other men and some women leaders have your work todo
    to protect their neighborhoods

  7. Ah,Ha!!!! & way to go Mr. Biggs!!!
    as on pirates of the caribbean…
    Mr Gibbs says “everyone is thinking it, I’m just saying it”
    Suzanne how would one contribute to Mr Biggs efforts???

  8. We got rules around this place. If you don’t follow ’em you’ll be throwen into…..,……: solitary confinement for 18 months, without even having a charge against you filed. You have entered the no US Constitutional Rights Zone. Just like WA DC. Maybe Lisa can loook into it for you….but you know how she is.

  9. Thank you Russell Biggs! Thank you for continuing to bring light to the illegal activities by the Assembly members and for taking legal action against them.

  10. We can only hope that sufficient evidence is available to lead to an indictment and not just a settlement. This bunch has been sweeping their trail so well that it has become a highway.

  13. Appreciate he effort but…mainstream media will not report any of this, Democrats have lots of money to delay and defend against such action. With 87,000 new IRS agents coming online soon, Mr Biggs may soon find himself in an audit.

  14. The door is finally open and shining light on corrupt shenanigans in Anchorage. We the People of Anchorage demand a forensic audit of all Assembly related actions for the last four years. Illegal meetings, destroying public records, tyrannical lockdowns, wasting taxpayer funds on WOKE projects. Time for a forensic audit to include ALL covid funds. Financial audits don’t dig deep enough. Time for the dirty laundry to get washed!!!!

    Time to stop the uncheck assembly members tyranny! Time to return to in person voting on paper ballots with voter ID. As long as the State of Alaska doesn’t accept responsibility for voter registration maintenance we must have in person voting with voter ID to prevent ballot harvesting, ballot box stuffing and other voter fraud.

    • Truth: maybe focus you energy and anger at the festering tumor in the MOA – Bronson. The assembly has its problems , like I think one is a homosexual, so certainly they / he deserves scorn and death threats, but Bronson is much worse. Bronson is grossly incompetent, divisive and a drag on local democracy. He needs to be investigated, just like we should investigate hunter Biden’s laptop. The assembly not so much despite the homo thing.

      • We live in a Constitutional Republic not a democracy. Why is it so difficult to understand this.

      • I have been watching comments here and not a one has called out Blaine for apparently finding it acceptable to spew death threats against another person. (Whether or not actual threats were made is immaterial)
        I am no fan of most assembly members and find them to be overbearing and rude, but such language is not only counterproductive to any public discourse i.e. the democracy you mentioned, but shows arrogance and coarseness that cuts off debate and devolves the entire process.
        Blaine for your information, it doesn’t matter what flavor of the month any of our assembly people are, everyone especially the public deserves to be heard and respected without fear for life and limb.
        As for the “Truth” you claim to speak here, whose truth?? The ADN, the Blue Alaskan, The Alaska Landmine?
        Perspective as they say is everything!

        • My comment was not well written. I was trying to expose the knee jerk reaction of some Right wingers with sarcasm. I am 1000% against violence of any kind. I apologize for my carelessness, I’m usually better than that. Thanks for calling me out. Seriously.

          • Blaine, curiously instead of practicing democracy by evaluating and respecting opinions of other contributors and the author, in your original comment you neglected to respond with a coherent and cogent argument to drive debate forward. You chose to air your preconceived prejudices in an attempt to besmirch those you disagree with.
            Thank you for clarifying!

  17. I think Rusty Biggs should waste more of his wealth and finance recall elections of the violators! It’s always fun watching him go down in flames.

    • Hmm, the only person that calls me Rusty Biggs is the nutcase ex-editor of the ADN who is on tweet 90,000,but maybe you’re a different person and not a troll account. For the record, I don’t mind spending money if it means even a few Anchorage citizens get their eyes opened to the systemic graft the Anchorage Assembly has engaged in over the last years with hundreds of millions of federal aid money, with the help endless emergency mandates that they themselves ignored. When Dunbar runs for US senate, and Chris Constant runs for mayor, people with even more money will get a chance to broadcast this court case to expose what kind of charlatans they actually are. But thank you for giving the game away here by admitting you don’t care a rip about ethical leadership.

      • Russell, I suspect that I know who is the “nutcase ex-editor of the ADN” to whom you refer (hint: initials are DH), and I also have been the recipient of some particularly mean-spirited, arrogant and intolerant communications from him/her/zhim/zher/xim/xher as well. That person is truly unbalanced and unhinged, and has utterly no regard for anyone who does not share his/her/zhis/zher/xis/xher rigid and narrow opinions.

  18. HMMMMM………….we got rid of 3 on our City Council here in Palmer for the same thing…..! Stand up Anchorage !

  21. Sir, that being Russell Biggs,
    Thank you for your efforts to expose the Anchorage Assembly for what it is; a reckless trobe who should be mandated a thorough psych evaluation, to include a lengthy ‘fib’ test.
    Further the disparaging ADN individual should be charged with ‘inciting hate speech’ and a lack of common sense.
    Victory Sir, I smell victory.

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