Testimony urges Martinez censure, calls recall voters' only recourse

East Anchorage resident Pamela Raygor argued that recall, not an Assembly vote, is the only way East Anchorage voters can remove George Martinez from his seat. She delivered that message to the Anchorage Assembly in written testimony submitted for its July 21 meeting.

Raygor wrote in support of the censure resolution, sponsored by Assembly members Baldwin Day, Scout and McCormick. The Assembly adopted the resolution at that meeting. Raygor drew a line between disciplining a member and undoing a certified result. "It is unlikely that the Assembly has the authority to override an election and remove him from office," she wrote. "The Assembly does have the jurisdiction to discipline one of its members."

Other Assembly members have asserted that the body does hold that authority. Assembly members Jared Goecker and Donald Handeland filed a formal accusation seeking Martinez's removal on July 1, invoking Anchorage Municipal Code 2.70.030. Martinez has disputed the allegations. He called the cited issues minor and already addressed through compliance or amended filings, and he has described the removal effort as a politically motivated use of the ordinance over de minimis errors.

East Anchorage voters elected Martinez in April 2026, and the election was certified. Under Anchorage municipal code, the right of recall belongs to the voters. An elected municipal officer may be recalled after serving six months of the term.

Origins of the Censure

The censure grew out of a June 15 final order from the Alaska Public Offices Commission. The commission found that Martinez made campaign expenditures that were not legitimate campaign expenses and that personally benefited him, including his personal travel account and airline status. The commission called portions of his sworn testimony "formulaic and evasive" and imposed maximum civil penalties along with repayment. The censure resolution, AR 2026-191, states that the Assembly considers the matter closed once Martinez fully complies with the order.

A Separate Investigation

Raygor also backed the separate track. A substitute resolution sponsored by Assembly member Yarrow Silvers, AR 2026-192(S), directs an independent investigation into Martinez's taxpayer-funded travel since 2023, his financial disclosures and his ownership interest in Consoach LLC. A report is due to the Assembly within 60 days of passage. That version strips out language that would have started removal proceedings.

"There is a distinction between a candidate's campaign violations, and an Assembly member's official business misconduct," Raygor wrote.

Hers was the only testimony on the two resolutions in this batch of written comments, and no opposing view appears in it.