George Martinez, an Anchorage Assembly member, is facing fines for alleged misuse of campaign funds during his 2026 campaign. He may also face fines related to his challenger, Cody Anderson, from the April municipal election.
Updated: 15 minutes agoAssembly member George Martinez speaks during a special meeting of the Anchorage Assembly on April 23, 2026. pay thousands of dollars in fines for misusing campaign funds on a flight to Florida and carbon emission offset credits during his 2026 campaign.
This spring, voters reelected Martinez, granting him a second term representing District 5, East Anchorage. Both Martinez and his challenger, Cody Anderson, may face fines related to their campaign finances from the April municipal election. The Alaska Public Offices Commission released staff reports detailing the alleged misuse of funds and will discuss the fines at its meeting next month.
, APOC staff recommended Martinez pay just over $4,500 in fines for an “out-and-back” trip to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and a subsequent $1,000 sustainable airline fuel contribution. While Martinez said the spending was consistent with his campaign and pledge to offset carbon emissions, APOC staff did not agree it was appropriate. In a Feb. 26 complaint, Anchorage resident Vickie Clay alleged Martinez had potentially misclassified non-campaign related spending and used campaign money for “personal benefit.
” Martinez spent $1,255 with Alaska Airlines, according to APOC filings, and did not specify how the trip related to his Assembly campaign. He later disclosed he had purchased a flight to Fort Lauderdale on Dec. 30. His return flight was scheduled to depart about an hour later.
Following requests for more information, the staff report by campaign disclosure coordinator Kim Stone found that after booking his Florida flight, Martinez contributed $1,000 to Chooose Inc., a company that allows passengers to purchase credits based on the estimated carbon emissions of their flight.
The Alaska Airlines partnership allows travelers to contribute an amount that corresponds to up to 20% of their flight’s estimated carbon emissions, according towould have amounted to $150 each way.staff gleaned that Martinez received 1,500 “status points” on his personal Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan account.found that in December 2025, Alaska Airlines ran a promotion, encouraging its guests to support the growth of the “sustainable aviation fuel market” in exchange for rewards points for every $100 contributed to Chooose. Martinez told APOC “repeatedly but without detail or documentation” that his Florida trip was intended to help him develop campaign policy, messaging and his “overall campaign strategy,” according to the staff report.
Martinez said his Chooose contribution reflected his campaign’s commitment to offsetting emissions. In response to the complaint, Martinez shared a screenshot of his campaign website, which displayed a green check mark signifying a “Certified Green Travel” commitment. He also shared his endorsement from The Alaska Center, a nonprofit that supports candidates that align with its mission to protect the environment and promote clean energy.
“I have emphasized policies supporting responsible environmental stewardship in Alaska’s transportation sector,” Martinez said in a letter to APOC in response to the complaint. “Consistent with that commitment, my campaign publicly communicated that it would offset carbon emissions associated with campaign travel. ” APOC staff found Martinez’s spending with Alaska Airlines and Chooose Inc. were not “reasonably related” to the campaign. The commission recommended Martinez reimburse $2,255 in campaign spending and pay an additional civil penalty of $2,555.
Martinez said Monday the questions before APOC concern expenditures “openly and accurately reported. ” “Since no final determination has been made by the Commission, no fines have been paid,” said Martinez, who previously worked as a special assistant in Mayor Ethan Berkowitz’s administration, and unsuccessfully ran for mayor in 2021. Anderson may pay $2,375 in APOC fines following a complaint alleging he used non-monetary corporate contributions to promote his campaign.
APOC staff found that Anderson used Mountain City Church facilities — where he is a minister and full-time employee — and failed to report it.from Stone, Anderson’s Facebook campaign page showed he used the Mountain City Church facilities for a “Campaign Kickoff Party” in November. Later that winter, the Facebook page showed videos filmed at and campaign events taking place at the church.
On his year-start campaign disclosure form, Anderson reported a single $50 non-monetary contribution for a room rental for the campaign kickoff event. He reported it as a contribution from himself, and not the church, according to the APOC staff report. In a response letter to APOC requesting the dismissal of the complaint and fines, Anderson said the recording took place in common areas of a church facility, where he is a full-time employee.
He said “no church staff time, institutional resources, or funds were involved. ” “Without question, the intangible benefits of being able to use a corporate employer’s resources for campaign purposes provides a great benefit to any candidate,” the APOC staff report reads. Bella Biondini is a reporter for the Anchorage Daily News covering city government and general assignments.
She was previously the editor of the Gunnison Country Times and has also reported for High Country News, in addition to working as a photojournalist. Contact her at bbiondini@adn.com.
Alaska Assembly George Martinez Fines Campaign Finances Resident Vickie Clay Non-Campaign Related Spending Personal Benefit Alaska Airlines Carbon Emissions Fort Lauderdale
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