By SUZANNE DOWNING
July 7, 2026 – The Anchorage Assembly faces a decision Tuesday evening: Whether to simply censure Assembly Member George Martinez over his campaign finance violations, or take the first formal step toward a potential removal from office?
The two competing resolutions, both on the July 7 Assembly agenda, offer strikingly different responses to findings already made by the Alaska Public Offices Commission.
One proposal would publicly reprimand Martinez. The other would launch a formal investigation that could ultimately lead to his removal from the Assembly.
The meeting begins at 5 pm at the Z.J. Loussac Library Assembly Chambers, with public testimony expected during the evening.
The controversy stems from an APOC investigation that concluded Martinez improperly used campaign funds for a personal round-trip flight to Florida in December 2025.
The commission also found portions of his sworn testimony were “not credible,” describing it as evasive and vague. APOC imposed the maximum civil penalty, totaling roughly $5,305, including reimbursement to his campaign.
Anchorage Assembly to consider investigation that could lead to removal of George Martinez
Now the Assembly may decide whether that punishment is sufficient.
Assembly Resolution 2026-191, sponsored by Assembly Members Erin Baldwin Day, Keith McCormick, and Sydney Scout, would formally censure Martinez. A censure amounts to an official expression of disapproval but carries no legal consequences and would allow Martinez to continue serving the remainder of his term.
Supporters of the censure resolution have argued that APOC has already adjudicated the campaign finance matter and that the Assembly should acknowledge the findings while allowing the city’s business to move forward.
A second resolution, AR 2026-192, sponsored by Assembly Members Jared Goecker and Donald Handeland, takes a more aggressive approach.
George Martinez’s taxpayer-funded Puerto Rico trip raises new questions and calls to resign
Rather than ending the matter with a public reprimand, it would initiate removal proceedings under Anchorage Municipal Code by submitting a formal accusation to the Municipal Clerk and directing the Municipal Attorney to hire outside counsel to conduct an independent investigation.
The proposed investigation would not be limited to the Florida campaign trip.
It would also examine questions surrounding taxpayer-funded Assembly travel, including Martinez’s 2025 trip to Puerto Rico, whether municipal travel helped him obtain airline rewards or elite travel status, whether any travel overlapped with private business activities, and whether all required financial disclosures, including those involving Consoach LLC and outside employment, were properly reported.
Goecker and Handeland have emphasized that their resolution is not itself a vote to remove Martinez.
Instead, it is a vote to determine whether additional facts should be gathered before any future removal proceedings are considered.
Martinez has said the APOC matter has been resolved and that his Assembly travel was authorized for legitimate legislative purposes. He has also stated that, to the best of his knowledge, he has complied with all financial disclosure requirements.
Whether the investigation resolution has enough support remains uncertain.
Anchorage Assembly members call for George Martinez to resign, threaten removal proceedings
The Anchorage Assembly maintains a Democratic-heavy majority, and several members have signaled they prefer a censure over opening removal proceedings. Assembly Chair Anna Brawley has also previously indicated she wanted additional discussion of the procedures before moving forward on removal.
3 thoughts on “Will it be a slap on the wrist? Anchorage Assembly may decide George Martinez’s fate tonight”
Is there anybody who actually expects the assembly to do the right thing? There’s a lot of smoke but I doubt anything meaningful will happen.
GIVE HIM A TIMEOUT!!!!! GIVE HIM A TIME OUT!!!! That’ll teach him!!!
He’s a protected species