A petition to recall Anchorage Assemblywoman Meg Zaletel is closing in on enough signatures to take the matter to a public vote in a special election this fall.
The group pushing for the recall, led by Reclaim Midtown’s Russell Biggs, needs to have nearly 2,500 signatures, plus a good percentage beyond that number just to make sure that enough of the signatures are valid and from the district Zaletel represents.
The discontent with Zaletel began with her push to allow former Mayor Ethan Berkowitz to purchase several buildings around Anchorage to create a homeless industrial complex.
Residents of Midtown Anchorage were outraged to learn drug and alcohol rehabilitation centers for vagrants would be placed adjacent to their neighborhoods. Decisions were made during Assembly meetings that were closed to the public, but during those same meetings the Assembly leaders permitted special invited guests of proponents of the mayor’s plan to be in the chambers. All who protested the plan were banned from the Assembly meetings.
Zaletel and then-Assembly Chair Felix Rivera were targeted for recall.
Rivera survived his recall in April. But the Municipality fought the Zaletel petition in court. The Superior Court judge Kevin Saxby sided with Biggs, but the Anchorage Municipal Attorney Kate Vogel, now gone from the city payroll, appealed the decision to the Supreme Court. The oral arguments for the appeal is Thursday, Aug. 19 at 1:30 pm, during which each side will be allowed 20 minutes to argue the case.
Most of the signatures on the petition are being gathered at the Carrs grocery story on Abbott Road, Biggs said, although there is some effort being made to go door to door in the District 4 neighborhoods. The progress is heartening, he said.
Meanwhile, the Alaska Supreme Court has decided that just about anything goes with recall petitions and that will probably bode well for Biggs to win in court.
This Assembly committed illegal acts. When will the DA file charges?!?!
They’re “progressives” so mere laws don’t apply to them.. Laws are for the little people.. Peasants should just shut up and open their wallets, before groveling abjectly
Maybe if we elected better representatives we would not have to go through this exercise. What has happened to us Republicans? We have gotten lazy with this Dividend thing and all. Let’s be conservatives first and not socialist wanna-be’s.
It’s called Stolen Elections. It’s not who votes but who counts the votes.
Eat another Snickers bar and stop with the dim bulb platitudes detached from reality.. This election was not “stolen.” The Alaska Supreme Court will almost certainly allow the recall to go forward if the petitioners get the required number of votes. That’s how things work according to the law.
yeah just vote harder and all these parasites can be replaced by other slightly different parasites
Why am I hearing there is more to Berkowitz immediate and quick severance from the political social life of a liberal politician than usual? Most libs can have violated several norms and the media will defend them. Berky……one and done….someone please shed light on what’s really going on.
What is going on is an elected politician made a political choice after they were elected that hacked off a fair number of folks who are seeking to recall the politician according to democratic procedures., as is their right.
Well done Russ
“When government fears the people, there is liberty. When the people fear the government, there is tyranny.”
-Thos. Jefferson
2020 and this panicdemic did one good thing at least. It got the average voter who just wants to be left alone riled up. They actually started to pay attention and realized that their elected representatives are not actually representing them. In fact, they often vote against the desires of the majority for personal reasons.
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There is a difference between conservatives and liberals when it comes to government. Conservatives view government as a necessary evil. Whereas, liberals see government as a goal, and achievement. They seem to think they will be the one on the balcony, waving at adoring crowds.
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Just look at how ADQ used her acting mayor position for self promotion. Compare the Muni.org website under the acting mayor (with a page dedicated to the acting mayor, and a full page dedicated to her wife.) to the current page on the Mayor. Glory seeking is not a good trait in a politician, yet, we have exactly that in at least 9 of our assembly members.
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