Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Elections And Transparency topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Residents criticize Matanuska‑Susitna Borough for adding partisan memorial to election pamphlet; some defend inclusion
Summary
Dozens of speakers addressed the Assembly during audience participation to object to the insertion of a memorial to national figure Charlie Kirk and the phrase “In God We Trust” into the borough’s election pamphlet. Speakers called for a public acknowledgement, policy changes and removal; others in the audience defended the memorial.
Dozens of residents used the Assembly’s public comment period Oct. 7 to criticize the Matanuska‑Susitna Borough for adding a memorial referencing national political commentator Charlie Kirk — and the phrase “In God We Trust” — to the borough’s official election information pamphlet without prior public notice, several speakers said.
“I'm asking you to do three things: 1, publicly acknowledge that this was a mistake; 2, commit that no political or religious statements will ever appear in official borough booklets again; and 3, retract and repudiate this misuse of public trust,” speaker Dave Musgrave told the Assembly during audience participation.
Multiple commenters said the pamphlet should remain neutral because it is intended to inform voters, not promote political opinion. “The election pamphlet is supposed to inform voters, not influence them,” said another speaker, and several asked the Assembly to remove the memorial and clarify the borough’s editorial policy for election materials.
Several speakers described safety concerns and harms they attributed to the named figure’s rhetoric; others said the insertion was procedurally improper because it was added without notice and without public comment. “Introducing political or ideological messaging into [an] official election guide undermines its integrity,” Dr. Irene Wagner said.
At the same time, a number of residents defended the Assembly’s decision or defended honoring someone who was killed. “Charlie Kirk was exceptionally intelligent,” said Linda Spohn, a commenter who praised Kirk’s positions; other supporters said the memorial was an expression of sorrow for a national assassination and not an endorsement of partisan politics.
Several Assembly members responded during the meeting’s closing remarks. Assemblyperson Hale said placing the name in the pamphlet was “inappropriate both in its partisanship and in its lack of publicity and public notice” and apologized for not opposing the underlying motion more forcefully. Assemblyperson Fonoff, who had supported the memorial during the meeting, said he would not apologize and stood by the Assembly’s action: “I will not apologize, but I will stay firm on that.”
No formal motion to remove the memorial or amend the pamphlet was recorded during the Oct. 7 meeting; speakers urged the Assembly to consider policies to prevent partisan or religious language in official election materials going forward.
