The far-left majority of the Anchorage Assembly finally agreed to lift its controversial citywide mask mandate on Dec. 7, but warned that it remains open to additional mandates in the future.
Following two weeks of public outcry against a proposed mask mandate in October, the Assembly abruptly approved it after surprising the public with an emergency ordinance that effectively cut off public testimony on the matter. Introduced by Assembly members Meg Zaletel and Pete Peterson, the mandate was whole heartedly supported by the nine-member leftist majority. Assemblywomen Crystal Kennedy and Jamie Allard were the only members who opposed the plan.
Over the past two months, many area residents and businesses refused to abide by the divisive ordinance, and Mayor Dave Bronson stated that his administration would not issue penalties or fines for those who declined to mask.
While the Assembly voted 11-0 on Dec. 7 to no longer force masks on the public, a notice from the body’s legislative liaison, Clare Ross, affirmed that the Assembly still “strongly encourages the use of masks in indoor public spaces.”
The notice acknowledges that the mandate was set to expire automatically next Tuesday. Clare’s notice said the Assembly decided to act earlier because two of the three hospitals have not utilized their “crisis standards of care” for at least two weeks, and community transmission is waning.
“If conditions change and a new public health crisis emerges, we can enact new COVID mitigations in the future,”
Mandate sponsor Zaletel expressed mixed ideas about nixing the ordinance early.
“While it may seem counterintuitive to end the ordinance with the variant looming on the horizon, the mask mandate has done what was intended and set our city back on a better path,” she claimed, before warning that additional mandates may be looming.
ALASKA WATCHMAN DIRECT TO YOUR INBOX
“If conditions change and a new public health crisis emerges, we can enact new COVID mitigations in the future,” she said.
Co-sponsor Peterson echoed this sentiment, claiming that while Anchorage is “not out of the woods just yet,” the mask requirement worked to “slow the spread of COVID and relieve the burden on our health care workers. We encourage everyone to continue to wear masks in indoor public spaces so we can keep up this positive momentum.”
Given that many residents ignored the mandate to begin with, it is likely even fewer will agree to voluntarily cover their faces now that masking is optional.
Back in October, when hundreds of residents packed the Assembly Chambers, mostly opposing the mandate, several Assembly members chastised testifiers and claimed they were abusing the public process by turning out in such great numbers that the Assembly was unable to vote on the measure.
22 Comments
Arrogance and Abuse defines the Anchorage Assembly.
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This abuse , segregation of the freedom loving, non-compliant is a rerun of Mao’s “Little Red” book. What are we prepared to do? This Assembly so out of control.. have a big money and ‘rabid base of ‘true believers who stick together like super glue.. while we sit and debate and wince.
And I can ignore you anytime I want
To the satanic left dominance and control that leads to genocide is the goal….. We must rid our nation of this evil or perish in its
suffocating intolerance.
Is it odd that I visualize these leftist assembly members in SS uniforms?
It’s good the assembly finally pulled their collective heads out and agreed that the people have played the covid mask game long enough. We the people are smart enough to know to were a mask if the numbers go up. You the assembly do not and should not be running our lives. Thank you for allowing us the choice we should of always had.
I shall not listen too the assembly! no more!?
I shall learn too vote you out?
It is only going to get worse folks. The only thing that will change this wretched assembly is the love of the Lord himself. In the meantime they have to be voted out.
Did not don a mask a single time, nor was I asked to. I only had one passive-aggressive comment by a fellow patron in Costco during this last Hail Mary. The man asked his wife loudly immediately after passing me “I thought Costco mandated masks?” Bet you $100 he wouldn’t have said a word if my husband had been with me. I’m sure he felt very happy with himself.
It’s simple. If you tell me I have to wear a mask to patronize your store – I will find another store. No hard feelings.
Thy hate GOD and HIS gift to all man called Liberty. They have used our Constitution. and LAWS made to keep us a civil society to destroy common sense and goodness from within, These seeds of evil have been sown and supported from demons named Soros and his ilk because of their. hatred of GOD and Freedom.. THESE ARE THE ENEMY AGENTS WITHIN. and by not. printing truth is complicit against GOD.
Exactly. Please let one of these Assembly members stop me when I go shopping without a mask and they will not like the outcome.
Waving the scepter over the unruly subjects. And as for claiming their mandate ‘has done what was intended’ – laughable. I suppose they called forth the snow storm this past week as well. The Matsu valley, the Kenai both have had no mask mandate yet their numbers are declining at the same rate. It is likely too much though to expect any logic, common sense, or truth from the ‘rulers’ of Anchorage.
Brandon’s Stasi has spoken, all shall heed or face flogging in the town square.
You have NO SAY over my GOD GIVEN bodily autonomy! I am not a part of a commune! I am not a ward of the state! I am a free citizen and will fight if it comes to that. It wont be my choice.. but the choice of those whom feel they can violate me, my family, and the public at large. THEY do not have the publics interests at heart, they have a socialist agenda to undermine the citizenry, and our God given rights.
Be it threat by coercion or a threat on my life, I do Not Consent, nor will I ever.
It is our duties as citizens to hold these tyrants accountable for violating of freedoms.. What happened to Alaska? The assembly happened.
-Judgement is coming =]
Was there a fake mandate going on, No mask wearing for me. I will not comply
These assembly members are loser, all they want is control of your life
The 9 Liberal Left-Wing Ass(embly) members don’t give a damn about Anchorage or it citizens! They are on a power drive because Dumbar didn’t win the Mayorship and now want to be dictators! So sad that these pathetic idiots thrive on power!
I say NO. What will you do when the majority says NO, in one loud voice? The degree of idiocy you display is stunning. The fact that you libs occupy your seats is not as reflective of the voters choices as it is of the voter fraud. And I expect that will come out. Wait til Alaska gets their turn with a recount.
You have been injected with too many bio weapons and booster bio weapons. So, no point in using too many big words on you here.
You are now cyborgs, you are no longer human, you can be patented. You are following commands. We humans, of the thinking ilk, know the hoax is done. We also know you are as good as gone.
The answer is NO! Take that, cyborgs!
YUP!!!!! You nailed it Charlotte.
Hmm..the picture of Zaletel above appears to be inside but she isn’t wearing a mask…just like Biden, Fauci, Psaki the libtard media etc; I never see them wearing masks when they are spewing their mandates and hatred while inside of buildings. This is all a farce and we all know it.
All of the vaccinated people will now have to wait 75 years for FDA to release data about the SAFETY of the experimental covid-19 clot shot…. very scary!
They can impose nothing unless Alaskans allow them to! And they like Zink are going to be held accountable real soon! They are not exempt from prosecution for violating your civil liberties and civil rights!
CAN’T DO THAT MEG AND ANCHORAGE ASSEMBLY!
Judges are finally doing their job!
Federal Judges Slap Down the Biden Administration very Hard, regarding vaccine mandate and testing requirements!
Judge Kurt D. Engelhardt, in an opinion for the three-judge panel, called Biden’s vaccine and testing requirements for private businesses “fatally flawed” and “staggeringly overbroad,” arguing that the requirements likely exceed the authority of the federal government and raise “serious constitutional concerns.”
Judge Engelhardt finished with these words:
“The Constitution vests a limited legislative power in Congress. For more than a century, Congress has routinely used this power to delegate policymaking specifics and technical details to executive agencies charged with effectuating policy principles Congress lays down. … But health agencies do not make housing policy, and occupational safety administrations do not make health policy. Cf. Ala. Ass’n of Realtors …. In seeking to do so here, OSHA runs afoul of the statute from which it draws its power and, likely, violates the constitutional structure that safeguards our collective liberty.”
These cases are extraordinary slap-downs of a sitting president.
The slap downs are extraordinary not merely because the president lost, but because so many judges felt the need to highlight the “Biden administration’s dishonesty and contempt for the rule of law.”
Just wanted to pass this along!