By SUZANNE DOWNING
June 22, 2026 – Two members of the Anchorage Assembly are calling for fellow Assembly member George Martinez to resign, saying he has violated the public trust by illegally using campaign funds for personal benefit and then providing testimony that state regulators found not credible.
In a joint statement released Monday, Assembly Members Donald Handeland and Jared Goecker said Martinez should step down immediately or face formal removal proceedings.
“We need to hold elected officials to a high standard,” Handeland said. “When an elected official is found to have illegally used campaign funds for personal benefit and then provides testimony that a commission finds lacks credibility, it raises serious questions about fitness for office.”
The call for Martinez’s resignation follows findings by the Alaska Public Offices Commission, which concluded that Martinez improperly used campaign funds for an end-of-year airline mileage run that provided him with a personal benefit. According to the statement, Martinez then offered a false explanation under oath regarding the purpose of the trip.
“The issue here is accountability,” Handeland said. “Every candidate and every public official is expected to follow the same rules. If we expect the public to have confidence in government, we must be willing to hold ourselves accountable when those standards are violated.”
Goecker said the matter extends beyond the specific campaign finance violation and strikes at the heart of public confidence in government.
“Public trust in our institutions is already fragile,” Goecker said. “The public has a right to expect honesty from those who serve them. APOC compliance can be complicated at times, but this wasn’t an accidental slip-up in a reporting timeline. This was an intentional misuse of campaign funds and then a deliberate attempt to cover it up.”
“This isn’t ultimately about airline miles either,” he added. “It’s about integrity. Campaign funds are entrusted to candidates for campaign purposes, not personal benefit. And when questions are raised, the public deserves truthful answers, not evasions.”
The statement from Handeland and Goecker says the evidence demonstrates that Martinez used campaign funds to finance a year-end mileage run that benefited him personally through airline rewards and status accumulation, actions they characterize as an illegal use of campaign resources.
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The two Assembly members said Martinez’s continued service on the Assembly is no longer tenable because of what they describe as a fundamental loss of public trust.
If Martinez declines to resign, Handeland and Goecker say they will initiate proceedings under Anchorage Municipal Code 2.70.030, the section governing the removal of municipal officials. Such proceedings would provide Martinez with notice, a hearing, and due process protections before any final action is taken.
The controversy comes as Martinez is already facing scrutiny over campaign finance violations that have drawn significant public attention in Anchorage.
Handeland and Goecker are encouraging residents to weigh in by contacting the Assembly at assembly@anchorageak.gov.
“Public trust in government depends on elected officials being honest and accountable,” the statement concludes. “When those standards are violated, there must be consequences.”
4 thoughts on “Anchorage Assembly members call for George Martinez to resign, threaten removal proceedings”
Nothing will happen. He has the full support of other on-the-take assembly members.
Exactly as ‘John Hancock’ stated nothing will happen.
But for the record it’s good Handleland and Goecker put the violation and crime into writing for future leaders drawing a line for them (the future) to know what is right and wrong
I think Anna Brawley and Daniel Volland are particularly fond of bad ol’ George. So if it were up to them, they’d probably lobby hard to give George added responsibilities or a promotion of some sort. Maybe they’ll ask George for advice as to how they can bypass the rules and “beat the system” for personal gain. The bottom line is that this assembly rarely demonstrates actual ethics or values that should be common and expected. In the end, they will agree to do nothing although swift action to remove George is absolutely required. Anna Brawley is supposed to represent the district where I live, but she does not.
This fella – and I will not use the descriptive noun I would like to use for reasons of decency – will never resign. He exists for only two reasons: to hold power for himself and to cast a Leftist vote on the Assembly. He contributes nothing of value to Anchorage; he has no skills and knows next to nothing about the community. It will be fun to watch to efforts to formally remove him. The fancy expensive media will ignore it and his Leftist colleagues will give him a pass. But it useful to make the effort.