Anchorage Assembly Chairman Felix Rivera allowed a member of the public to call Assembly Member Jamie Allard a Nazi sympathizer on the record several times during Tuesday evening’s regular meeting, causing many in the audience to shout down the testimony as an out-of-order personal attack.
The incident created such an uproar in the Assembly chambers that eventually the public testimony time was exhausted and Rivera called for a 20-minute break.
Rivera, by then, had also ordered the removal of at least one person from the audience, after several people yelled that the Assembly had broken its own rules prohibiting personal attacks and that Rivera had not started the three-minute timer on the man who was accusing Allard of Nazi associations.
“Follow your own rules,” the bellowing could be heard off camera. But Rivera had walked away, and wasn’t there to turn on the timer, and the man continued on, while the shouting in the room only got louder.
Finally, Assemblyman John Weddleton said he was timing the testimony on his watch.
Christopher Constant then called for a point of order that the man was saying an Assembly member’s name, something that is out of order and that he has objected to in the past. But after that point of order was noted, the man was allowed to continue using Allard’s name in his testimony about her being a Nazi sympathizer.
At one point, Allard asked the audience to settle down, and told them if she could sit there and listen to such testimony, then they could too, and she appreciated that they have her back, but the public business must proceed in an orderly fashion. It appeared that most in the audience were supportive of Allard and were not friendly to the liberal majority.
Some attending the meeting said it had every sign that Rivera had cherry picked testimony from the phone calls coming in. Most of the public testimony phone calls were laudatory of the Assembly or Rivera.
About 45 members of the public were allowed in the Chamber itself, far under the 50 percent capacity that is stated via the mayor’s emergency orders. In fact, security had locked the outside doors to the Loussac Library building, and people were furiously yelling to be allowed in.
The rationale given was that there needed to be more social distancing, but social distancing seemed to be an elastic concept on Tuesday, since there were few people in the atrium waiting to be allowed their turn in the chamber or the spillover room next door, and since Rivera had severely limited the number of people in the room.
Eventually, civic firebrand Bernadette Wilson made her way to the podium. As she approached, Rivera told her she would not be allowed to swap places with a man who was holding her spot for her, and that she would have to come back later or tomorrow.
Wilson is known for her fiery testimony and it appeared to her supporters that Rivera was heading off another public relations disaster. He is heading for recall on the April 6 ballot, after thousands of citizens signed a recall petition against him.
Curiously, the Assembly either could not or would not allow its usual live-streaming on YouTube during this section of the meeting. The technical glitch was fixed by the time the Assembly returned from its 20-minute break.
The public who was not in the room had to watch proceedings from the Municipal Clerk’s Facebook page, which had limited audio and visual capacity.
Assemblywoman Meg Zalatel said that she plans to draft a reprimand against Assemblywoman Allard on Feb. 9. The offense is that Allard had posted some verbiage on Facebook that some say seemed to excuse two vanity license plates that were pictured by members of the Recall Dunleavy Committee, license plates that contained German words sometimes used to refer to Nazis. Her comments caused an uproar among the “cancel culture” crowd, which has been hounding her ever since, egged on by the Recall Dunleavy group.
Who was testifying? Was it Mike Schechter?
Pete – I was unable to make out his name. The audio was poor. -sd
I’d bet it was Ivan Hodes, he’s been harassing her for months on FB and said he was going to testify against her the next assembly meeting.
I’d bet it was Ivan Hodes, he’s been harassing her for months on FB and said he was going to testify against her at the next assembly meeting.
Hmmm, From comments on the significance of already illegal license plates to “ nazi sympathizer” !! Is it not amazing how the liberal mind operates!!
Leftist fascists and hypocrites!!! Need to be run out of town on a rail!
Don’t forget that the pledge of allegiance person couldn’t be bothered to include the “under God” part.
What’s the difference between Anchorage and East Germany?
Accent.
NOW will someone have the stones to sue the Assembly? Why sue? They don’t give a damn about the law. Hit them where it counts-the wallet.
Uh….that would be OUR wallet.
Their costs and legal fees are paid with our property taxes.
This shit show is by a bunch of High School nothings trying to govern in a pandemic. These are not leaders, they fear mongering leftist using a health emergency as an excuse to push socialism on the Anchorage populous.
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Rivera’s got that trustafarian beearch persona down pat, it’s the default position for those conflicted assembly members. It could well have its roots in an unhappy childhood.
I agree 100%
If things continue to deteriorate further in our civil society, there will quickly be a new class of leaders emerging from the political madness that is developing all around us.
Just another “dog & pony” show (read: swine & equine show), from the confused, puzzled, unhinged, discomposed, etc., Anchorage “Animal Farm” Assembly!
Too true for words !
A soap opera of clownish and disrespectful behavior.
The boob running the show is far outside his depth and has got to go.
WOW !!!! Jamie’s comments are fact ,,,, but politicians need to pick and choose their words. Stating that you posted as a private citizen went out the window when you ran for the chair you hold. The elected rule. Anchorage voted for this. AND come next election ,,,,,,,,,,, same. They act like kids in jr. high. Sad that the population center of our great state has this drama every week. Question ,,,, did anything come of this weekly yelling match help anyone ?
What’s happening to Allard is a tragedy. What the hell has happened to America where we cannot speak our mind without being cancelled out !? This culture needs to end!!!
It’s been a long time coming. They have been packing themselves into closets all around America and they have recently become so tight in there that they had to overflow and then the dams bursted and this is what we have now. This hasn’t happened overnight though it has been a slow steady planned coup attempt.
I think it’s so important that Alaskans continue to fight for free speech and against this cancel culture. Especially with all that’s going on. The Democratic Party has established itself as an oligarchy of many illegal influential branches. It is a travesty to freedom overall!!
I’m waiting for the screenplay. “While Anchorage Turns.”
It’s a laughing stock.
If the Democrats denouce anti semitism, then why is it President Biden will drop the Iranian sanctions, why is it democrats support Palestine over The State of Isreal, and why is it democrats never reprimanded Congress Represenative Omar for her past anti semitic remarks?
Before Assembly Member Zalatel uses her time writing a reprimand she might want to do some research what Democrats had done against The State of Isreal and what elect like Rep. Omar said about Jews.
Over and over agian its the Democrats i hear reported calling Isrealites terrorists. Where is their correction? I never hear Democrats apologize for Rep. Omars anti semitic remarks.
Now that Zalatel and her co-conspirators are dropping reprimand resolutions like confetti, when can we expect a similar reprimand against Forrest Dunbar who used Muni assets (the code enforcement guys he voted for) against his political rivals? Dunbar (with his extensive medical training (/sarc)) called the Bronson fundraiser a superspreader event, called out the code enforcement guys on the business that hosted the event. The acting mayor went along with it. Cheers –
Jen:
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The first axiom of politics is in play here:
“It is not the action taken by the individual that causes the offense. It is the political affiliation of the individual taking action that causes the offense.”
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That axiom is always in effect. It explains leftist behavior to a T.
This fact from the ADN.
Gov. Mike Dunleavy removed Anchorage Assembly member Jamie Allard from the Alaska Commission on Human Rights over comments she made on social media regarding a pair of Nazi-themed vanity license plates that surfaced in Anchorage recently.
“The comments made by Ms. Allard regarding the license plate controversy have become a distraction for the Human Rights Commission and its mission to ensure equality and fair treatment of all Alaskans,” Dunleavy spokesman Jeff Turner said Tuesday. “Gov. Dunleavy felt it was in the best interest of the board to remove her effective immediately.””
Prayer that the recall is successful, and that the eyes of Anchorage residents are opened to what is going on hence voting with more attention, thought, and logic.
Salem witch hunt, Anchorage style.
I wonder if he understands why he is being recalled?
What we have here is Democrat privilege. They can say, do, act however they want and zero in the way of any repercussions. What ever happened to the #MeToo movement? Women were to be believed and never tarnished. Hmmm, I guess its gone now so they can attack women when its to their advantage. Ms Allard needs to seek legal counsel for slander and defamation of character.
I’m sure she has already lawyered up. One thing that the Democrats are deathly afraid of is their wallet getting lightened in a courtroom.
Voters in district 4 did their job by getting Rivera on the recall ballot. Now it’s up to the rest of the voters in District 4 to get off their duffs and throw him out of office. And Meg Zalatel should be next…
I believe that she will be…. An attempt was made but stymied early on by the Muni Clerk… we are better organized now, but it all takes months of time and patience…
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