Anchorage Assembly District 4 race sees one incumbent, one challenger

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) - Only two people are running for the Anchorage Assembly District 4 Midtown seat. Challenger Kathy Henslee says she has a lot of respect for incumbent Meg Zaletel, but that she feels her solutions for solving problems are poor.

Zaletel is seeking to be reelected to a second term in Midtown. She has a legal background and is the interim executive director of the Anchorage Coalition to End Homelessness. The incumbent said she takes a “people centered” approach to politics and does not consider herself a conservative, moderate, or liberal.

She says if reelected, some of the issues she would like to tackle in Midtown are economic recovery and redevelopment, ensuring libraries remain a strong institution and affordable housing.

“Assembly member (Felix) Rivera (and I), we’ve been working on whether or not a Midtown Tax Improvement District or a Midtown District Plan makes sense, so some of the things that have happened downtown, can we extrapolate them out?” Zaletel said.

Henslee, a realtor who considers herself a conservative, said she agrees with Zaletel on many of the issues plaguing Midtown. She adds that crime is also having an impact on businesses and families in the district.

She said she has no political experience, but she doesn’t see that as negative.

Henslee said she has a lot of respect for Zaletel and her passion for Midtown but thinks the incumbent’s track record is not a good one.

”I think her philosophy is more that government is our solution,” Henslee said. “That if we empower government, they will take care of us. My philosophy is that people are our solution. We empower people and we empower businesses. And then they fund the government.”

She added running for assembly is not a “resume builder” for her. She just thinks a lot of people have lost confidence in the assembly, and it’s time for change and for residents to step up and challenge the incumbents.

There are also contested races in Districts 2, 3, 5, and 6. Election Day is April 5.

Copyright 2022 KTUU. All rights reserved.