Alaska: Wrangell Mayor petitions rejected by city

The City rejected a petition seeking the recall of Wrangell Mayor Steve Prysunka over a claim that he gave insufficient notice of an emergency meeting that imposed a $25 fine for violating a mask mandate to fight the coronavirus pandemic. The petitioner, former Mayor Don McConachie Sr. has said that he will not appeal but will run for office.

The meeting over mask mandating was called five hours after Governor Mike Dunleavy sent an emergency cell phone alert about rising infections.

Alaska is a Malfeasance Standard state, so petitioners would have had to meet a statutorily delineated violation to get on the ballot, though after the recent Supreme Court decision in favor of the Dunleavy recall attempt, the courts may allow this recall. Petitioners needed 104 signatures.

Prysunka faced an earlier recall attempt in January, but he had not yet gotten out of the 120 day grace period. Interestingly, the article notes that no recall can be filed for 6 months now that this one has been rejected.