Gubernatorial Candidate Les Gara Comes out in Support of Assemblywoman Zaletel

Democratic candidate for Governor Les Gara has voiced his support of Anchorage Assemblywoman Meg Zaletel, who is facing an inane political recall.

Gara, a former Alaska State Legislator, took to Facebook last week calling the effort to recall Zaletel "out of bounds" and mean.

Gara wrote that some individuals intended to crowd their way into an Anchorage assembly meeting at the height of Anchorage's first major COVID-19 outbreak — a time Gara says was when Alaska Chief Medical Officer Dr. Anne said Zink had asked residents to avoid indoor crowds. Gara wrote that the same people intent on crowding their way into the meeting are the same people supporting the effort to recall the Midtown Assemblywoman.

The Democratic candidate for Governor as that the recall effort "reeks of meanness and game-playing" and that Zaletel works hard cares about the community, and shouldn't be recalled on the grounds someone miscounted attended by one or two people who were safely distanced from each other.

Gara has encouraged his followers to donate to the 'No on Zaletel Recall' group, which was created to defeat the effort mounted against Zaletel.

Facebook page Reclaim Midtown, the mysterious and vocal actor behind the Zaletel recall, also attempted to recall former Anchorage assembly Chair Felix Rivera earlier this year. That recall effort suffered a crushing and embarrassing defeat 56.5% - 43.5%.

Frantically begging for help on its Facebook page in July — seeking others to gather signatures for the almost certainly doomed recall effort, the Reclaim Midtown Facebook page wrote:

"You also don't need to believe that she will be recalled, you just need to believe that losing the Supreme Court case will skewer her re-election chances."

Reclaim Midtown also wrote in the same post, complete with powerful capital letters for apparent extra emphasis:

"If we don't get the signatures, Zaletel will move to dismiss, and she and all the same people who have walked all over your civil rights will do it EVERY. SINGLE. TIME."

The hypocrisy behind the recall effort can't be overstated, the premise of which is based on the unproven allegation that a Progressive member of the assembly participated in an Assembly meeting last summer with more people present than were allowed under COVID-19 gathering restrictions in place at the time.

Zaletel has strongly supported COVID-19 mitigation strategies to keep people safe from a virus that had increasingly strained Anchorage hospitals and healthcare workers.