District 38’s Rep. Zach Fansler is battling accusations of rough sex play that was too rough. A Juneau woman went to the police after she said Fansler got drunk and boxed her in the ear, rupturing her ear drum.
But voters in the sprawling district already have a choice this November.
Darren Deacon of Kalskag has stepped up to run for representative of the rural district that stretches from Crooked Creek in the East to Tooksook Bay in the West and South to Goodnews Bay. Bethel is the hub community. Kalskag is home to 210 Alaskans.
Deacon wrote :
“As a family man and life-long Delta resident, I have learned that we must all help one another, we must fight for those who cannot fend for themselves, and we are all equal in this world.
“If chosen by the people of District 38 to serve them, I will work to bring economic opportunity to our communities; I will fight to protect a full Dividend so that we can have a needed boost to our local economy. I will defend our subsistence rights and work to improve the healthcare of our region and support our search and rescuers and first responder’s super-human efforts to bring us home safely to our families.
“The people of our region are like others who call our great State of Alaska home: kind of heart, resourceful, generous, wise and hard working, always ready to help our neighbors in times of need.
“Recent events in Juneau show that we need a change in leadership , that we deserve a person who will represent them in the state capital with these same great qualities, the same work ethic and kind heart, and an understanding of the challenges that we all face in our daily lives. in doing so we will make our lives better, our communities stronger, and keep with the same great traditions that make us all proud to call this great State of Alaska home.”
NO WORD ON FANSLER RESIGNATION
House Speaker Bryce Edgmon today told reporters in the Capitol that, regardless of the due process to which Rep. Fansler has a right, Edgmon had received credible information from people in the Capitol about the incident, which was reported on Saturday by the Juneau Empire.
“To ask for his resignation: It’s a bold step,” Edgmon told the Capitol Press Corps. “And it’s something that we acted very definitively and very quickly on, because quite frankly our policy towards inappropriate treatment and, certainly, violence towards anyone — much less a woman — is something we just won’t tolerate.”
But Fansler has not shown up around the Capitol since the news broke Saturday. His staff has been reassigned to Rules Chair Rep. Gabrielle LeDoux.
Fansler, who is an attorney, has been huddling with his remaining political allies to determine his next step. He was seen leaving Hangar on the Wharf, a local bar and grill, earlier Tuesday. The media reports he has consulted with a criminal defense lawyer who is doing the speaking for him now; the last quoted comment from his attorney is that Fansler is innocent.
If Fansler quits, he’d be the second Democratic Party freshman to exit within a month. Rep. Dean Westlake, District 40, left Dec. 25 after he was accused of harassing women in Juneau. Criminal charges were never filed.
John Lincoln of Kotzebue, hand-picked by the governor, will be sworn in on Wednesday and assigned to Westlake’s committees.
To date, Fansler has not faced criminal charges, either, but the police report hasn’t been released, which indicates an investigation is underway.
[Read: Fansler: Marching for women by day; smacking them around by night]
Edgemons comment: ” … much less a woman…” shoes he still thinks of women and men in different categories. Keep up the pressure on him, he has not been held to account for his role in the cover up of the earlier reported incident of sexual harassment .
“I want to make it clear that being slapped was not the problem. I like that,” the text message said. “You were too drunk and you weren’t listening to me. That’s why it was upsetting.”
Perhaps there is more to this story after all?
https://www.adn.com/politics/alaska-legislature/2018/01/30/alaska-house-leaders-strip-bethel-rep-fansler-of-staff-as-they-await-resignation-decision/
So, the media prosecution of Mr. Fansler continues. The House Democrats have taken away his staff and want him to resign. His sentencing continues. How can Mr. Fansler continue to “represent” his community without staff help doing all the work that is necessary for a legislator to do his/her job?
As much as I want our legislators to be honest, upstanding people, I know that Alaska has had problems with moral behavior during session in the past. Who remembers Senator George Jacko and the sexual harassment charges brought against him. The bar scene in Juneau during session has given us many stories. I think the #MeToo sweep has clouded our minds on abuse and rape cases. We are quick to believe, prosecute and sentence, often depending on our gender.
The police report has not been released, so we really do not know the “truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.” There is always trouble with a “she said/he said” story and not everyone tells the truth to the police, so an investigation is usually necessary. I remember two very public accusations and media prosecutions a while back that turned out to be totally false. In 2006 Crystal Gail Magnum accused the Duke Lacrosse team of rape, it turned out to be totally false. Then in 2014 a woman reporter from Rolling Stone wrote a story accusing University of Virginia Phi Kappa Psi frat house members of gang rape. After the media prosecution and sentencing the story proved to be false and Rolling stone ended up paying $1.65 million to the frat house. I do not think that sum is adequate.
Having said all this, I am not really defending Mr. Fansler, I just am not ready to hang him yet.
Ready to trust him in a room, alone with your daughter, or my daughter?
With respect, Darren, “as a family man and life-long Delta resident”, you’ll do things the way Alaska’s lobbyist-legislator team wants things done and you’ll obey Peoples’ House Disciplinarian LeDoux because you want staff, re-election, and most importantly, money for your sponsors.
Other than that, have fun with your “change in leadership”.
Oh, as a favor, you might spare us the well-worn, trite phrases that seem to attend every politician’s pilgrimage to the Holy City of Juneau.
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