Rep. Ken McCarty Calls Eagle River "Leaders" Actions "Shameful"
Alaska Representative Ken McCarty (R) had harsh words for Chugiak/Eagle River "leaders" after an Alaska Town Hall Meeting he attended went off the rails in District 13 this past weekend.
Present at the meeting was Alaska State Senator Lora Reinbold, who was the recent recipient of a love letter sent to her by Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy. Reinbold was featured in an Associated Press article yesterday about GOP state lawmakers who spread COVID-19 misinformation. Eagle River Assemblywoman Jamie Allard, now the subject of a recall effort, was also in attendance sans mask.
A six-minute video clip taken at the event, which has been viewed nearly 2,000 times, features a local business owner marching up to a constituent and shouting her down over her concerns that masks were not being worn at the indoor town hall meeting.
Anchorage Assembly member Allard got into a shouting match with the community member and interrupted the woman's allotted time to speak. While Allard was shouting across the room at the woman, Representative Ken McCarty could be heard interjecting at one point off camera, saying, "Jamie...Jamie," in what appeared to be an attempt to quiet Allard.
Today, Representative McCarty issued a statement regarding the February 27 town hall meeting, writing that he had met with the community member who was denied her three minutes to speak as he "wanted to honor her right to respectfully share and to be respectfully heard."
Rep. McCarty also wrote in his statement that the "community member was denied her three minutes speaking opportunity by the disrespect of disruption, projected accusations, filibustering monologues, or condoning smiles of others in the group. The rant of these disruptive community "leaders" has brought shame upon themselves and our community," laying responsibility for the events at the town hall on its "supposed leaders."
