Chairman of Mat-Su Freedom Alliance Comes Out in Support of Sign Vandalism
In a move certain to shock...well...nobody, Brenden Strom, the zaftig California transplant cosplaying as chairman of the far-right Mat-Su Freedom Alliance, has shamelessly thrown his weight behind the repeated malicious destruction of MSBSD School Board candidate Diane Shibe's campaign signs, because fuck the very essence of democracy, that's why.
In a post made yesterday to his Facebook page, Strom morphed from an attention-seeking provocateur into a defender of sabotage. No, really, he did. Here he is flagrantly mocking the reprehensible assault of Shibe's campaign signs, all while hypocritically commanding an "organization" that lists "community unity" as a supposed value on its website.
And bonus points, Mat-Su Freedom Alliance has endorsed Shibe's opponent, Ole Larson, as well as Kathy McCollum. While Larson claimed in an October 19th Facebook post that he does not "condone sign theft or vandalism toward any candidate signs, large or small," he has not rejected Freedom Alliance's endorsement of his school board campaign.
Strom's public comments endorsing such un-American behavior are a reminder of how extreme the far-right arm of the Alaska Republican party is. And if you aren't upset yet, you will be in just a moment, because an extremist out in the Valley has taken to shooting...yes, you read that correctly, shooting one of Diane Shibe's campaign signs.
In response to Shibe's Facebook post featuring the photograph of her campaign sign littered with bullet holes, an account bearing the name of Wasilla resident Rebecca Monaghan ludicrously speculated that members of Shibe's own campaign might have been the rootin' tootin' gun-slinging vandals. Cuz, you know, THAT'S a real thing.
Strom himself even lapped up the conspiracy theory about Shibe's signs, sharing the same baseless claim in a Facebook comment.
Anyway, if you're in the Mat-Su and live in Districts 3 or 6, you have a choice to make.
Do you want to re-elect extremist organization Moms for Liberty-endorsed school board members Ole Larson and Kathy McCollum who attend committee meetings in apparent violation of the Open Meetings Act, silence student voices, and advocate the banning of LGBTQ+ books?
Or, is it time to elect fresh new faces to the school board? Individuals like Diane Shibe and Sydney Zuyus—two strong women who champion student voices, respect educators, and embrace transparency and accountability.
The choice is yours. Vote.
