By SUZANNE DOWNING
June 25, 2026 – The controversy surrounding Anchorage Assembly Member George Martinez has widened, with two Assembly colleagues releasing municipal travel records they say raise fresh questions about his use of taxpayer money for a trip to Puerto Rico last year.
Assembly Members Donald Handeland and Jared Goecker released the records on Thursday, just days after calling on Martinez to resign following an Alaska Public Offices Commission ruling that found he illegally used campaign funds for personal benefit and gave testimony under oath that the commission found was not credible.
Now, the two Assembly members are asking the public to take a closer look at a taxpayer-funded municipal trip Martinez took to Puerto Rico in November 2025.
According to municipal travel authorization records, Martinez traveled to attend the 2025 SOMOS El Futuro Conference in Puerto Rico. While the conference itself was scheduled for Nov. 5-9, the municipal travel authorization covered Nov. 3 through Nov. 12 — a total of 10 days.
The travel authorization lists no personal or non-business days, and expense records show Martinez received taxpayer-funded per diem throughout the entire authorized travel period.
Handeland and Goecker say those records raise questions about whether the length of the trip was justified and whether the municipal travel complied with Anchorage’s policies governing taxpayer-funded travel.
They also question the public purpose of attending the conference itself.
According to the organization’s own description, SOMOS El Futuro is a nonprofit focused on advancing the interests of the Hispanic population of New York State. The travel records released by the Assembly members do not identify a specific Anchorage governmental purpose or explain how the conference directly benefited Anchorage taxpayers.
“Why was an Anchorage Assembly member using taxpayer funds to attend a conference hosted by an organization focused on the needs of people in New York State?” Handeland said in a statement. “That may be an important mission, but the public deserves a clear explanation of why Anchorage taxpayers were asked to pay for this trip and what benefit our community received.”
Goecker said the records leave unanswered questions that deserve public scrutiny.
“Taxpayers deserve straightforward answers,” he said. “The conference lasted five days. The travel lasted ten. The records identify no non-business days, yet per diem appears to have been paid throughout the trip. Before asking taxpayers to foot the bill, elected officials should be able to clearly explain why the travel was necessary, whether it complied with municipal policy, and what tangible benefit Anchorage received.”
The release of the travel records follows the Alaska Public Offices Commission’s decision that Martinez improperly used campaign funds for a year-end airline mileage run that provided him with a personal benefit. The commission also found that Martinez’s explanation under oath regarding the trip lacked credibility.
Earlier this week, Handeland and Goecker called for Martinez’s resignation, arguing that the campaign finance violations and the commission’s findings had irreparably damaged public confidence. They also announced that if Martinez refuses to step down, they intend to pursue removal proceedings under Anchorage Municipal Code 2.70.030.
With the release of the Puerto Rico travel records, the two Assembly members are asking that the municipal travel be included in any broader review of Martinez’s conduct.
“This is no longer simply about campaign finance violations,” Goecker said. “Public confidence depends on knowing that elected officials use taxpayer dollars responsibly, document their expenditures accurately, and can clearly justify the public purpose behind those expenditures. Anchorage residents deserve that level of accountability.”
The newly released documents do not allege that the Puerto Rico travel violated municipal policy. Rather, Handeland and Goecker say the records raise questions they believe warrant further review, particularly in light of the findings already made by APOC regarding Martinez’s handling of campaign funds.
Martinez has thus far declined calls to resign.
3 thoughts on “George Martinez’s taxpayer-funded Puerto Rico trip raises new questions and calls to resign”
This retarded troll should go back to New York where he belongs.
He’s laughing it all off.
The explanation is simple: He’s a crook and should never have been elected.
He is a painful reminder that the Leftist machine can and will elect anyone to public office and that the voters are not intelligent enough to understand the harm that is being done to the community.