ANCHORAGE, Alaska, June 22, 2026 — Anchorage Assembly Members Donald Handeland and Jared Goecker are calling on Assembly Member George Martinez to resign from the Assembly because he lied under oath and has caused a fundamental loss of public trust.
“We need to hold elected officials to a high standard,” said Assembly Member Donald Handeland. “When an elected official is found to have illegally used campaign funds for personal benefit and then provides testimony that a commission finds lacks credibility, it raises serious questions about fitness for office.”
“The issue here is accountability. Every candidate and every public official is expected to follow the same rules. If we expect the public to have confidence in government, we must be willing to hold ourselves accountable when those standards are violated.”
Assembly Member Jared Goecker said the case comes at a time when public confidence in institutions is already under strain. “Public trust in our institutions is already fragile. The public has a right to expect honesty from those who serve them. APOC compliance can be complicated at times, but this wasn’t an accidental slip-up in a reporting timeline. This was an intentional misuse of campaign funds and then a deliberate attempt to cover it up,” Goecker said.
“This isn’t ultimately about airline miles either. It’s about integrity. Campaign funds are entrusted to candidates for campaign purposes, not personal benefit. And when questions are raised, the public deserves truthful answers, not evasions.”
The evidence shows that Martinez illegally used campaign funds for an end-of-year mileage run that provided him with a personal airline benefit, then gave a false explanation under oath about the purpose of the trip.
George Martinez should resign from the Anchorage Assembly. If Martinez does not resign, Members Handeland and Goecker will initiate proceedings under AMC 2.70.030. That process would provide him with an independent hearing and full due process, but could ultimately result in his removal from office.
Members of the public should let the Assembly know how they feel about this conduct by emailing [email protected].
Background
Martinez purchased a nonrefundable ticket just three days before departure for an approximately 8,000-mile round trip from Anchorage to Fort Lauderdale. His itinerary allowed only 63 minutes on the ground, barely enough time to deplane and begin boarding the return flight. He arrived back in Anchorage on December 31, the final day of the airline status-qualification year.
The day after booking the flight, his campaign spent exactly $1,000 on sustainable aviation fuel credits, the maximum amount eligible for promotional airline status points. APOC staff found that the payment was far greater than the calculated carbon offset for the actual trip. The resulting status points were credited to Martinez’s personal airline account.
Under oath, Martinez testified that the trip was for campaign strategic planning, was not a mileage run, and was intended to provide approximately 20 hours of uninterrupted planning time. He also testified that the airline status benefits “were unknown at the time of the transaction,” “were not part of the expenditure rationale,” and were merely “incidental.” Those statements were false.
The last-minute booking, 8,000-mile itinerary, 63-minute turnaround, December 31 return, maximum status-point purchase, and personal airline benefit all point to a mileage run rather than a legitimate campaign-planning trip.
Martinez acknowledged holding Titanium status for 2026, the highest annual level in the airline’s rewards program. When commissioners asked whether the campaign-funded flight and related payment helped him reach that status, he repeatedly avoided answering. He also failed to provide the airline account records that could have verified his explanation.
Martinez had every opportunity to provide records supporting his story. Instead, he avoided direct questions and withheld the records that would have shown whether the campaign-funded activity contributed to his personal airline status.
The Commission described Martinez’s testimony as “formulaic and evasive” and found that he “outright refused to respond to questions or provide answers to straightforward inquiries.” APOC ordered repayment, imposed the maximum civil penalty, and described the violations as “particularly egregious.”
The issue before the public is not simply whether campaign funds were improperly spent. The issue is whether an elected official gave truthful testimony under oath when questioned about that spending.
Public officials are entrusted with significant authority, and that authority depends on public confidence in their honesty and integrity. The residents of Anchorage, particularly those in East Anchorage, deserve representation that is honest, accountable, and worthy of their trust. Martinez’s false sworn testimony, refusal to provide corroborating records, use of campaign funds for personal benefit, and omission of his business interest have made it impossible to maintain that trust.
Press release provided by Assemblymember Donald J. Handeland on June 22, 2026.
