In a video ad playing on Facebook, Anchorage Assembly Chairman Felix Rivera is burning up the airtime by mocking his critics.
The man who arrived with a box over his head to protest the mask ordinance is mocked.
The woman who burned a mask at the podium is laughed at.
And Rivera reserves special distain for Dustin Darden, a municipal employee who is running for Assembly and who is a frequent critic of the municipality.
In fact, Rivera, who is facing a recall election, seems to be saying, like mayoral candidate Forrest Dunbar is saying, that the critics of the mayor and assembly are unhinged.
“The reason people are being theatrical in these meetings is it’s the only thing that works anymore,” said Russell Biggs, who has led the charge on the Recall Rivera campaign. “You can’t go in and have a reasonable conversation with the Assembly. The reason these meetings are so out-of-control is that people feel they are not being listened to.”
Over 5,000 people signed the petition to recall Rivera on the April 6 ballot.
But Rivera’s supporters, including the AFL-CIO, and the National Education association (NEA) are mounting an aggressive counter-campaign to place Rivera in a flattering light, as one who has helped reduce homelessness and crime in Anchorage, and who is helping to make Anchorage a livable city.
