Meg Zaletel named in lawsuit against Anchorage homelessness industrial complex organization

By
Suzanne Downing
-
43
Assemblywoman Meg Zaletel led the effort to eliminate single-family zones in Anchorage.

Anchorage Assemblywoman Meg Zaletel, who double-dips as the CEO of the Anchorage Coalition to End Homelessness, is named in a lawsuit by a “Jane Doe,” a former employee, who accuses her and the organization of wrongful termination.

In the lawsuit, the complainant accuses Zaletel of routinely yelling at and berating employees.

Zaletel is not running again in April for her seat on the Assembly, which provides millions of dollars to her organization. In 2024, the Assembly gave her $1.4 million to solve homelessness in Anchorage, which has only worsened under her leadership. She has been on the Assembly since 2019, and has headed up the homelessness business since 2021.

Wesley Early of Alaska Public Media broke the story about the alleged financial mismanagement by Zaletel, and the claims that Zaletel created a toxic workplace at the nonprofit and that people working there are demoralized.

“Doe further alleges that when she brought her concerns to the board of directors, she was fired. The 37-page complaint also names board chair Nathan Johnson and vice chair Jacob Lyons as defendants,” Early writes.

The case is 3AN-25-04029CI Jane Doe vs. Anchorage Coalition to End Homelessness.

Early’s report on the complaint can be read at this link.

43 COMMENTS

  1. Really, really hope “Jane Doe”, an employee apparently with nonpublic, insider knowledge of how The Meg’s mob works, considers filing a qui tam lawsuit which could collapse The Meg’s homeless-industrial complex and make “Jane Doe” a truckload of money in the process, all legally, above-board.
    .
    What’s qui tam? See the process at: ‘https://www.whistleblowers.org/faq/false-claims-act-qui-tam/
    .
    Best of luck, Jane Doe.

  2. Another crooked politician.
    I would like to know her bank balance when she was elected and what it is in April.
    My guess is and some zeros to the pre assembly date and that’s the current amount she has relieved the tax pays of.

  3. She is literally the role model for: Do as I say, not as I do….
    She is the typical liberal democrat.
    I remember her and Chrissy calling Bronson commie employees “brave” for reporting him for cancelling home work.

    Here is a real hostile work environment cause!!!!
    Bet she is gone when her value for access to the assembly is ended.
    Meg is a toxic, ball breaker…

  7. Frank you had a lot to say about Bronsons behavior. Care to give us a chortle with some remarks defending zaletel who is now blamed for the same thing?

  8. About freaking time! Hopefully her trial will expose everything we’ve suspected her of doing. If proven, I’ll be thrilled to wait by the entrance to Highland Mountain and see her frog-walked through the front door.

  9. Ironic how MRAK believe’s Donald Trump yelling and berating people is a good thing, but a local CEO not such a good thing

    • Trump doesn’t yell and berate those who work and are faithful to him. Trump has his own money and doesn’t need the skim.

    • Frankly Frank, I don’t really care about the berating.
      So somebody got their feeling hurt, get over it (it is ironic though that such an occurrence is alleged with our diverse and inclusive pride flag flying assembly woman).
      The real issues here are the alleged mismanagement of funds and the firing of an employee after she filed a complaint. We have laws about that. Maybe a forensic audit of the ACEH should be pursued!

    • frank is so much like the spinless character from M*A*S*H
      Burns instead of rast, YEAH that fits way better!

    • Frank, how is that relevant? Why can’t we agree that calling out a scumbag like Meg is a good thing for everyone (except Meg of course)

    • Sounds like you’re one of those Schwarzenegger “screw your freedom” types. Sorry to say (not really) that your party is imploding. Look on the bright side, Harris should be able to get a job at a strip club when this is over.

    • Oh… Frank.
      Seriously, try reading past the social media posts. So far, every report that Trump has been “yelling and berating people…” has been proven to be absolute garbage. Unsubstantiated is being kind here. The people claiming it are outright liars, or where not there.

    • Whom did he yell at? Please illuminate your baseless allegations. A real man does not have to raise his voice.

    • {{User sandbox}}

      I typically find Frank and the cult of personality surrounding Frank to be a pointless distraction. I couldn’t let this pass, however. The site’s name, Must Read Alaska, implies a less than national focus. It would be perfectly normal for Must Read Alaska to report on someone who is a significant public figure within Alaska. Frank, however, appears to believe that a “one size fits all” popularity contest mentality should govern MRAK’s coverage. In other words, some poor local yokel doesn’t need to be harassed like this because they’re not really a public figure if they’re not being talked about constantly in the 24/7 news universe. Hope that’s not the case, because I’d recommend you put the pipe down for a while.

      I haven’t had much to do with Meg Zaletel over the past 4–5 years. I did work with her quite a bit when she chaired the Assembly Housing and Homelessness Committee and I was involved with HRAC. Here’s the story of how that went. During 2019, HRAC made much progress on policy matters throughout the community. In the first few months of 2020, that changed. ACEH orphaned HRAC, and municipal officials led by Zaletel convinced the group to pause its activities following the pandemic. This led to HRAC effectively ceasing to exist before too long. No matter, the Assembly evidently had it all figured out when it introduced the Houseless Lived Experience Advisory Board. Mayor Bronson mentioned HRAC in his veto message as evidence that HLEAB was redundant. He apparently wasn’t aware that the intent was to replace HRAC, not supplement it. How’s that working out for you? Well, I’ll tell you. As of this writing, HLEAB has zero members and last met in April of last year. It appears it was constantly in danger of not being able to have a quorum when it did have members. Zaletel moves into her position at ACEH in 2021. Because of the divide and conquer strategy that was pursued on multiple fronts, she’s been able to enjoy a tenure unblemished by having to receive counsel from community members who know what goes on at street level. How convenient, eh?

    • Well that’s interesting, instead of ascertaining any information you dismiss this, because “people are going to hate on her”? What are you 5?
      It should be pointed out that AK Public Media broke this story.
      Meg and her ilk spend $161+ million on homelessness and our homeless numbers are the highest they have EVER been. She has a serious conflict of interest, sitting on the assembly AND running an organization, which receives DIRECT funds from our assembly. Do you not want to know what happened to all that money??

    • Maury; is there any valid reason anyone should not hate her? So far, she’s taken huge paychecks, said there are no employees, but has 7 digit budget for employees. Plus, she has not helped one single homeless person get a home.

      However, if you have evidence to the contrary, please share with the class…

    • Typical leftist.
      When someone does something they disagree with, it is proof of hate.
      .
      Do not think the border should be left wide open? Obviously, you hate immigrants.
      Don’t think gays should force someone to bake a cake against their will? Obviously, hating gays.
      Think Biden is a moron with decades of no accomplishments? Hate geriatrics.
      Know for a fact that Harris slept her way to top of CA politics? You hate women.
      .
      And, now the latest. We must hate Zaletel because… well, why exactly do you think we hate her?

  11. Just another example of why elected officials should be required to release yearly complete tax records. These people work for us, not the other way around.

    • I agree with that statement, but I would first like to see a monthly progress evaluation of how many homeless people have been given homes. After all this is an organization titled to help homeless people. That should be everyone’s first priority in this organization.

      So far, there have been zero results in helping a single homeless person.

  12. If you create a bureaucracy or non-profit to solve a problem, you guarantee not only that the problem will not be solved, but it will also be made substantially worse.

    There is no exception to this rule.

    • It is called Pournelle’s Law.
      .
      Pournelle’s iron law of bureaucracy
      In any bureaucracy, the people devoted to the benefit of the bureaucracy itself always get in control and those dedicated to the goals that the bureaucracy is supposed to accomplish have less and less influence, and sometimes are eliminated entirely.
      .
      In simple terms:
      The main purpose of a bureaucracy is to maintain and grow the bureaucracy

  15. Whatever you do, don’t look into the senior leadership of HIAS. That organization is competing with the executive board of ACEH to fill apartments and section 8 housing with people that don’t work and get thousands of dollars in taxpayer money each month. Funnily enough, they go to the same place of worship to revere tikun olam and the kalergi plan.
    They will team up and fight to the death to prevent the same immigration and homeless programs from being implemented in Israel though.

  16. Meg Zalatel’s “nonprofit” has a very interesting tax return (Form 990): It shows grant revenue of $2,714,918. It also shows it has ZERO employees. But these nonexistent employees have salaries, benefits, compensation of $1,267,683!!!! What is going on here?

    BTW, it shows Zalatel’s wages as $104,034. Link: ‘https://pdf.guidestar.org/PDF_Images/2023/461/156/2023-461156688-202441369349311309-9.pdf?_gl=1*1agnp70*_gcl_au*MTA1NzQ5NDMxNy4xNzM3MDMyNzM2.

    • Wouldn’t hesitate to drop a dime to the IRS Criminal Investigation Division.
      .
      (‘https://www.irs.gov/compliance/criminal-investigation)
      .
      Might be fun to see what happens when they ask, “What is going on here?”

    • There’s more (isn’t there always?):
      .
      “In the lawsuit, Doe alleged that on numerous occasions, Zaletel had shouted at and berated staff, leading to a hostile and “depressing” workplace and to the resignations of several executive-level staff members. Doe expressed concerns that Zaletel’s service on the Assembly, as well as time spent campaigning for office, were “negatively impacting staff and operations.” Doe also alleged that Zaletel —dismissed her concerns raised over a number of financial matters, including insurance compliance, billing for services and compliance with grants.—” (emphasis added).
      (‘https://alaskapublic.org/news/anchorage/2025-01-14/former-anchorage-coalition-to-end-homelessness-executive-alleges-wrongful-termination-in-civil-lawsuit)
      .
      Seems like no better time than now to share with the IRS Criminal Investigation Division, ask whether this one’s nonprofit status should be revoked, and if so, whether back taxes should be collected on the organization’s income.

    • Well isn’t that special?
      Say it ain’t so… not even fish season and yet Anchorage air stinks of rotting fish.
      Perhaps Anchorage government could use another way to fund their grants, payrolls and benefits… can you say (a temporary? lol) yes, I’m digging this one up again … sales tax?
      Look out property tax payers and visitors to Anchorage – there’s a bright new money raiser on the table.
      Don’t worry about it,
      it’ll happen
      because there will be a special election – yes, another one where the typical ‘no show’ voters can use the convenient mail in ballots.
      Oh hey, ignore the FACT that mail in voting is easily compromised.
      Have confidence that Anchorage Muni employees would never, ever take advantage of mail in voting.
      BUT (said in a whisper)
      If mail in voting wasn’t an easy win for them, Democrats would overwhelmingly go back to ballot voting and hand counts.
      Anchorage = Your city is stinky.

  17. I love the irony that a “housed” person is in charge of helping “unhoused” people.

    The only results we have seen from this government entity is liberals taking a huge paycheck, and still lots of homeless people. I love the irony.

    • Yes and the taxpayer gets screwed again.
      Taxpayers need to smart up and be concerned about theft of city funds by the assembly.

      • but… the (insert “oppressed minority” here)

        We gotta think of the (insert “oppressed minority” here)

  18. Earning $300,000/annually as CEO of an organization to end homelessness and serving on the Assembly making decisions related to homelessness seems to me to be a conflict of interest. Funding for this organization at the federal level should be on the DOGE chopping block.

    Meg Zaletel named in lawsuit against Anchorage homelessness industrial complex organization – Must Read Alaska

Comments are closed.