Former ADN Editor files massive public records request
Pulitzer Prize winner and former Anchorage Daily News editor Pat Dougherty has filed a massive public records request with the Anchorage Municipal Clerk.
Dougherty tells me that he is seeking copies of any email communications in the possession of the Anchorage Assembly, the Municipal Clerk, or the Municipality of Anchorage to or from the municipal email account of Assemblyperson Jamie Allard between November 1, 2020, and November 15, 2021, that include any of the following words, names, or terms:
Russell Biggs, Reclaim Midtown, Save Anchorage or SA, Suzanne Downing, Must Read Alaska or MRAK, Chelsea Foster, and Judy Eledge.
Biggs, who has been described as a civic activist by Must Read Alaska, led two separate failed efforts to recall Anchorage Assembly members Felix Rivera and Meg Zaletel and manages both the Reclaim Midtown Facebook page and the notorious Save Anchorage Facebook group. He has also filed expansive public records requests, which he and Must Read Alaska's Suzanne Downing have selectively cherrypicked for use against progressive members of the Anchorage Assembly.
Judy Eledge, an unqualified one-time Bronson pick for director of the Anchorage Public Library (APL), was pulled from consideration to avoid Assembly confirmation and instead installed in the unconfirmed role of deputy director. Her social media posts stirred controversy last year when she ran for the Anchorage School Board and after Mayor Bronson appointed her as director of the APL.
Assemblyperson Allard needs no introduction.
Yesterday, Suzanne Downing asserted on the Must Read Alaska blog that Dougherty's request for public records was an "attack" on blogs, elected officials, activists, social media pages, and groups. In response to an email asking why he filed a public records request, Dougherty told me that he was merely watching local government officials and active political players.
"Wouldn't an "attack" involve some sort of attack? I haven't even received the documents yet. Does Must Read Florida know something about what's in the requested documents that make them attack-worthy?"
Dougherty said it was noteworthy that many of the same individuals listed in his records request were now champing at the bit and said they didn't seem to have a problem with "Rusty Biggs' big FOIA request for Assembly documents."
The Municipal Clerk's Office processed Dougherty's payment for the public records request last week on March 17, and the search for related records is now underway.
