Anchorage Assembly vice chair Meg Zaletel will not seek a third term.
In an interview Wednesday, Zaletel said she feels like she’s accomplished a lot since she was elected to represent Midtown in 2019, and now is a good time to bow out.
“I feel like I’ve done really great policy work in the almost six years I’ve been on the Assembly, and I think it’s important to make room for new leadership opportunities for other folks,” Zaletel said.
Zaletel came to the Assembly with a legal background, serving as an attorney with the Disability Law Center of Alaska before opening her own practice. She currently serves as the executive director of the Anchorage Coalition to End Homelessness, and frequently recused herself from many Assembly actions involving homeless services.
After a sometimes tense tenure that included spats with former Mayor Dave Bronson and a failed recall attempt, Zaletel said she’s proud of continuing long-term work on fixing the Port of Alaska and restoring the Eklutna River. She also highlighted some more immediate accomplishments.
“Partnering with some of my female colleagues to bring parental leave forward for municipal employees, working to get the mobile crisis team up and going,” Zaletel said. “So it’s kind of a mix of those things that are going to take years to unfold and implement, and those that are more immediate.”
Zaletel said she doesn’t anticipate running for office anytime soon and is looking forward to having just one full-time job.
Zaletel is the second Assembly member to announce they would not seek reelection next year. East Anchorage member Karen Bronga announced she wouldn’t run again and endorsed Yarrow Silvers to replace her.
Currently, one person has filed their intent to run for Zaletel’s seat. That’s Erin Day.
“I fully support her run,” Zaletel said after having a chance to speak with Day.
The next municipal election is set for April 1, 2025.
Wesley Early covers Anchorage life and city politics for Alaska Public Media. Reach him at wearly@alaskapublic.org and follow him on X at @wesley_early. Read more about Wesley here.
