The clock has officially started on Anchorage’s 2026 municipal election.
With Election Day set for April 7, just 85 days away, the candidate filing period opens this week on Friday, Jan. 16, marking the first formal step in what is shaping up to be one of the city’s most consequential local elections in years.
Six seats on the Anchorage Assembly will be on the ballot, representing every major section of the city.
Two of the more radical Democrat incumbents, Christopher Constant of North Anchorage and Felix Rivera of Midtown, are term-limited and cannot run again, guaranteeing at least two open seats and a shake-up on the body that sets spending, zoning, and municipal policy.
The seats up for election, with terms running through 2029, are:
North Anchorage (District 1, Seat B), currently held by Christopher Constant, first elected in 2017 and term-limited
Chugiak, Eagle River, and Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson (District 2, Seat C), held by Scott Myers, first elected in 2023
West Anchorage (District 3, Seat E), held by Anna Brawley, first elected in 2023
Midtown Anchorage (District 4, Seat G), held by Felix Rivera, first elected in 2017 and term-limited
East Anchorage (District 5, Seat I), held by George Martinez, first elected in 2023
South Anchorage, Girdwood, and Turnagain Arm (District 6, Seat K), held by Zac Johnson, first elected in 2023
The filing window opens at 8 am on Friday, Jan. 16, and closes at 5 pm on Friday, Jan. 30. Candidates have two weeks to complete all required paperwork and submit it to the city.
Candidates may file in person at the Municipality of Anchorage Election Center at 619 East Ship Creek Avenue, Door D, or at the Municipal Clerk’s Office at City Hall, 632 West Sixth Avenue, Suite 250. Forms may also be faxed, emailed, or mailed, although mailed filings must include original notarized signatures and arrive before the deadline.
Note that both offices will be closed on Monday, Jan. 19, for Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
To qualify for the ballot, candidates must submit three items.
The first is a notarized Declaration of Candidacy. Notary services are available at both the Election Center and the Clerk’s Office, and the city does not accept computer-generated signatures.
The second is a Confidential Identifier Form, which must include either a birth date, a voter ID number, or the last four digits of a Social Security number. This information is kept private by the city.
The third requirement is a hard copy of the Alaska Public Offices Commission Public Official Financial Disclosure form, which must first be filed electronically with the state and then printed and turned in to the city.
The Assembly will meet on Tuesday and is expected to finalize tax proposals to be sent to the voters on the April 7 election, which is an all-mail-in process that begins in mid-March when ballots are mailed to voters.
13 thoughts on “Six Anchorage Assembly seats up for election as filing period opens this week”
Jay McDonald,
Will you please run to replace Felix Rivera, if you’re still in my district?
A conservative, Dave Donley is already running to replace Felix. Help him out with some ca$h if you can.
For some reason, I thought Donley was not in my district, but I’m glad to learn he is!
Dave Donley is in the 4th District.. The separating dashes are confusing people.
2 things of note, well perhaps 3.
Expect Rivera and Constant to seek higher office. Slitting the throat of the current mayor is not out of the question. They eat their own for power and control.
The second one: “Bring on the Christians, bring on the lions!!” as they chanted in ancient Rome. Arabella Venture 1630 funds to “Hail Caesar!”
The third, the Federal government has requested voter registration rolls from the state; hint – it only takes 3 seats to turn this thing around. VOTE!
Rivera filed paperwork for a State House campaign with APOC on October 19, 2025. Interestingly enough, he lives in Andy Josephson’s district. Sounds like you folks in Anchorage have some fact-finding to do.
As Penny pointed out, there are three seats up for grabs. South Anchorage can replace Zach Johnson with Bruce Vergason, West Anchorage can vote in Brian Flynn and, Eagle River can cast their vote for Donald Handeland. FYI: To all South Anchorage voters, Zach Johnson voted in favor of the Transgender Day of Remembrance. That should be enough alone to get him ousted in April.
Is Scott Myers not running?
It appears he filed with APOC for an unspecified state office. Is Kelly Merrick up for election this year? Looks like he lives in District 23 and a run against Jamie Allard seems unlikely to me.
I originally shared APOC filings for Assembly seats three weeks ago. This would be a good time to revisit the list. One additional person has since filed with APOC.
District 1 — North Anchorage
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Francisco Mercado
Justin Milette
Sydney Scout
District 2 — Chugiak, Eagle River, JBER
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Donald Handeland
Kyle Walker
District 3 — West Anchorage
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Anna Brawley
Brian Flynn
Frederick Thoerner
District 4 — Midtown Anchorage
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David Donley
Deirdre Goins
Janice Park
Daniel Rampke
District 5 — East Anchorage
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Cody Anderson
George Martinez
District 6 — South Anchorage, Girdwood, Turnagain Arm
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Zachary Johnson
Janelle Sharp
Bruce Vergason
Brawley, Johnson, Scout and Walker are the candidates this audience needs to focus their attention on, as their filing lists individuals affiliated with Ship Creek Group.
Sean… Handeland is definitely Eagle River. I’ve been following his Instagram account.
You need to correct the separating dashes….. It’s very confusing… Dave Donely is in the 4th DISTRICT. Midtown NOT East District.
That’s not my doing. The site’s formatting disregards paragraph spacing. That was also the case at Suzanne’s former site until it was fixed at one point. As I would think most people read top-to-bottom, I’m not sure exactly what’s the problem.