This Nov. 9, 2016 photo shows state Rep. Zach Fansler during a House news conference in Anchorage after the 2016 general election. House Speaker Bryce Edgmon on Jan. 27, 2018, requested Fansler’s resignation after a report in the Juneau Empire in which a woman alleged that Fansler hit her during a night of drinking. Fansler’s attorney has said there was no crime. (Mark Thiessen | The Associated Press File)

This Nov. 9, 2016 photo shows state Rep. Zach Fansler during a House news conference in Anchorage after the 2016 general election. House Speaker Bryce Edgmon on Jan. 27, 2018, requested Fansler’s resignation after a report in the Juneau Empire in which a woman alleged that Fansler hit her during a night of drinking. Fansler’s attorney has said there was no crime. (Mark Thiessen | The Associated Press File)

Rep. Fansler resigns after assault allegations

Rep. Zach Fansler, D-Bethel, has resigned six days after the Juneau Empire published details of an alleged assault by the first-term Alaska lawmaker against a Juneau woman.

His resignation was officially announced Friday morning in a regularly scheduled meeting of the House of Representatives. The letter did not include an effective date, so Fansler’s resignation will become effective Feb. 12, 10 days after it was filed.

“With great sadness I have decided to tender my resignation as the representative of District 38 in order to dedicate more time to personal matters,” the letter states. “My constituents need a representative who can devote her or his full attention towards advocating on matters of great import to the Yukon Kuskokwim Delta. Unfortunately, I am unable to do so at this time.”

In a speech on the House floor, Speaker of the House Chris Tuck, D-Anchorage, said Fansler’s staff will remain at their jobs to answer questions and help the residents of Fansler’s district.

In a statement sent by text message, the woman — whom the Empire is not naming — said she had mixed feelings.

“I’m glad this bit of uncertainty has been resolved but I was disappointed to read in his resignation letter that Zach is avoiding taking responsibility for his actions. Since his resignation is not effective until the 12th and he is still collecting per diem, I suggest that he donate the next 10 days’ per diem to the Tundra Women’s Coalition,” she wrote, referring to the Bethel women’s group where Fansler used to volunteer.

“Zach caused me a great deal of physical and emotional pain, but he also let down his constituents, and they deserve better,” she wrote. “While the last three weeks have been very difficult, it was a comfort to me to see that Speaker Edgmon and his colleagues took my report seriously and acted quickly.”

On Jan. 27, the Empire published the account of a Juneau woman who said she was assaulted by Rep. Fansler at his hotel room on Jan. 13. The woman said she was slapped multiple times by Fansler after a night of drinking, with enough force that one of her eardrums ruptured. She provided medical records and pictures to back up her account.

She also provided the Empire with copies of text messages that showed Fansler apologized to her and said he was sorry that he brought his “bdsm kink” out. The woman said that the topic of BDSM did come up briefly during their relationship, but that she never consented to that.

“I certainly at no point in that evening was asked for my consent or gave my consent,” she said.

The Juneau Police Department is investigating the case. No update from JPD was immediately available on Friday, but the woman told the Empire that she believes the investigator on the case will finish his report by early next week.

Fansler’s resignation will start the clock on a legally binding process to fill his seat in the Legislature. Gov. Bill Walker will have 30 days from Feb. 12 to name a replacement. In an effort to speed that process, the procedures of the Alaska Democratic Party call for district party officials to collect applications and winnow them to a list of finalists that will be forwarded to the governor.

The governor is not required to pick from that list of finalists, but because the governor’s pick must be confirmed by a vote of Democrats already in the House, picking from the list is generally seen as a way to ensure the pick will be accepted.

Fansler’s departure comes two days after Rep. John Lincoln, D-Kotzebue was sworn in to replace Dean Westlake, who resigned in December after allegations of sexual misconduct and harassment. The gain of Lincoln and the loss of Fansler from the coalition majority in the House of Representatives leaves the majority with 21 members, the smallest possible majority in the 40-person House.

The House’s 18-member Republican minority praised Fansler’s decision to resign.

“There is absolutely no excuse for dating violence. It cannot be tolerated. Our members are proud of victims who have taken courageous steps to report such vile behavior. Our thoughts remain with all of those who have suffered dating violence and domestic violence,” the minority said in a prepared statement.

Rep. Ivy Spohnholz, D-Anchorage, has been among the most outspoken members of the House majority on the topic of sexual harassment and abuse in the Legislature.

Speaking to the Empire Friday afternoon, she said she was pleased to see it and thinks it sends a message that misbehavior by lawmakers will not be tolerated by their coworkers.

“What we know is that these kinds of situations have been taking place in Alaska for a very long time, and Alaska’s really no different from the rest of the United States in having to address these kinds of problems, but I’m really pleased to see that our coalition has been able to be so courageous in facing them head-on so hopefully we can turn the page on behavior that for far too long was tolerated,” she said.

She gave her thanks to the woman in the case as well.

“It’s hard to do that. She did it, and in doing so, she helped to address a problem, and I think we owe her a debt of gratitude,” Spohnholz said.

Speaker of the House Bryce Edgmon, D-Dillingham, said shortly before Fansler’s resignation that the impending event had created a “sense of closure” for lawmakers in the majority.

“This has again been a difficult situation all the way around,” he said.


• Contact reporter James Brooks at james.k.brooks@juneauempire.com or call 523-2258.


More in News

(Juneau Empire file photo)
Aurora forecast through the week of Dec. 1

These forecasts are courtesy of the University of Alaska Fairbanks’ Geophysical Institute… Continue reading

Juneau Assembly members, city administrative leaders and other officials gather for the Assembly’s annual retreat where they discuss policy and budget goals for the coming year in the Juneau International Airport’s conference room on Dec. 2, 2023. This year’s retreat is scheduled Saturday at the same location. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire file photo)
CBJ’s budget being squeezed by lots of requests for extra funds, finance director warns

City ended FY24 with extra $10M in bank, but Assembly spent extra $6.5M during first five months of FY25.

A recount of ballots from the Nov. 5 election is observed Wednesday morning by Alaska Division of Elections officials and participants in a challenge to the outcome of a measure to repeal ranked choice voting in the state. The recount at the division director’s office in Juneau began Tuesday and is expected to last up to 10 days. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)
Recount for ranked choice ballot measure begins under watchful eyes of attorneys

Relative handful of oddly marked ballots questioned, few of those “quarantined” for further scrutiny.

Rose Burke, 9, a fourth-grade student from Kenai, flips the switch to illuminate the U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree during a ceremony Tuesday night in Washington, D.C., as U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson watches next to her. (Screenshot from C-SPAN broadcast)
U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree from Wrangell decorated with 10,000 ornaments made by Alaskans is lit

Rose Burke, 9, of Kenai, flips the switch after reading her essay about the tree during ceremony Tuesday.

An MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter aircrew conducts an on-scene search for five missing people after the fishing vessel Wind Walker was reported to have capsized near Courverden Point Sunday. The combined searches covered over 108 square nautical miles within a span of 24 hours. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Cmdr. Paul Johansen)
Coast Guard releases names of five people lost in fishing vessel sinking

Coast Guard District 17 headquarters said today that next of kin of… Continue reading

Traffic navigates a busy intersection covered with ice and slush on Monday afternoon. (Laurie Craig / Juneau Empire file photo)
Pedestrian critically injured by truck sliding off road near ferry terminal; driver arrested for DUI

Collision on Monday night comes as Juneau’s roads remain hazardous after weekend snowstorm

Three cruise ships are docked along Juneau’s waterfront on the evening on May 10, 2023, as a Princess cruise ship on the right is departing the capital city. A “banner” year for tourism in 2023, when a record 1.65 million cruise passengers visited the state, lifted workers’ average wages in the Southeast region, the state Department of Labor and Workforce Development reported. (Yereth Rosen/Alaska Beacon)
Wages for Alaska workers are up, but total jobs remain lower than pre-pandemic levels

The average hourly wage in Alaska was $33.60 in 2023, putting the… Continue reading

Jeff Campbell moves a Santa figurine into the front yard of his annual Christmas-themed holiday house on West 11th Street in the downtown neighborhood known as The Flats on Thursday, Nov. 28. Campbell begins the decorating after removing Halloween fare and usually turns on the lights in December. Campbell has created this masterpiece annually for over 30 years. Besides Santas, the display includes candy canes, drummer boys, nativity scenes, reindeer and Disney and Winnie the Pooh characters and some of his own creations. He also has thousands of lights and speakers wired to play Christmas music and his electricity bill doubles over the display’s longevity. (Klas Stolpe / Juneau Empire)
An icebreaker, a world-premiere play, a new ski season and holiday events galore arriving at week’s end

Gallery Walk, landmark anniversary for “Nutcracker,” Mexican holy feast day among seasonal celebrations.

Marzena Whitmore (elf) and Dale Hudson (Santa), pose for a photo with Benny Orvin (partially obscured), 6, and his siblings Lilly, 4, and Remi, 2, taken by their mother Alex as their father Randy watches during last year’s Gallery Walk in downtown Juneau on Friday, Dec. 1, 2023. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire file photo)
Here’s what’s happening at this year’s Gallery Walk on Friday

More than 50 locations in downtown Juneau hosting performances, exhibits and other activities.

Most Read