Anchorage Assembly files July work session records on removing a member

Removing a sitting Anchorage Assembly member could cost the municipality between $98,000 and $210,000, not counting a possible $162,000 special election if the seat becomes vacant. Assembly Chair Anna Brawley entered that estimate, along with other records from a July 17 work session on removal procedures, into the Anchorage Assembly's Aug. 4 meeting file.

The memorandum, AIM 118-2026, covers the removal procedure in Anchorage Municipal Code 2.70.030 and other options short of removal, giving the Assembly "a common understanding of the procedural options available."

Assembly members Jared Goecker and Donald Handeland filed an accusation on July 1 seeking the removal of member George Martinez. The filing came after the Alaska Public Offices Commission issued a final order on June 11 imposing maximum civil penalties for campaign finance violations. The accusation alleges Martinez testified falsely under oath at a June 3 APOC hearing about the purpose of his travel, claimed $456 in per diem for a November 2025 trip when his approved travel authorization entitled him to $312, failed to disclose his ownership interest in Consoach, LLC on financial disclosure reports filed in January and March 2026, and used his official Assembly Facebook page to promote that private business in June. Martinez's response to the accusation was not available. Removal requires a two-thirds vote and clear and convincing evidence.

The Assembly's discretion over removal drew attention at the July 17 work session. "It doesn't say the Assembly shall remove anyone, you know, who violates, who breaches the public trust," Jeremiah Gardner said.

At the Aug. 4 meeting, the Assembly voted 5-6 against directing an independent investigation into Martinez's taxpayer-funded travel, then declined 3-8 to reconsider that vote, ending the investigation proposal.

The Assembly has never removed a member.