Anchorage Deputy Director of Libraries Judy Eledge has resigned.
The Mayor Dave Bronson announced Eledge’s departure in a short statement on Tuesday, in which he stated that her last day would be May 15.
Eledge’s departure is just moments prior to her departure. Anchorage Assembly was set to adopt the resolution in which the mayor is asked to be asked to be able to accept Eledge’s resignation.
The resolution was drafted by Assembly members Kameron Perez Verdia and Chris Constant. They presented three pages of the reasons Eledge should be removed from office in light of her racially charged remarks towards Alaska Natives that were caught on video workplace complaints about harassment, discrimination and bullying and the financial and legal responsibilities of her being employed. The resolution also heavily refers to an article published from ProPublica and the Anchorage Daily News about Anchorage Daily News and ProPublica regarding Eledge’s infuriating public and private comments that focused on LGBTQ+ legal protections.
The time Eledge spent in the city was fraught with controversy right from the beginning.
Her initial choice was by Bronson for director of libraries despite not having a master’s degree in library sciencean essential requirement for the job. She then quit the position of library director as the mayor’s spokesperson saying that she didn’t want to undergo “what was an unfair discrediting” on the Mayor’s choice. Bronson was later appointed as deputy director for the library. an appointment that does not need Assembly approval.
Bronson’s statement of two sentences on Tuesday didn’t offer any information regarding Eledge’s resignation, other than the announcement of her final day.
