Voting Station

Ethan Berkowitz

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Mayor

The Resume

    (February 4, 1962- )
    Born in San Francisco, California
    Co-hosted ‘The Bernadette and Berkowitz Show’ on radio (2014)
    Alaska State Representative for District 26 (1997-2007)
    Mayor of Anchorage (2015-20)
    Democrat

Why he might be annoying:

    He ran unsuccessfully for Lieutenant Governor (2006), Congressional Representative (2008), and Governor (2010).
    During a debate about same-sex marriage on ‘The Bernadette and Berkowitz Show,’ he said, ‘Father and son should be allowed to marry if they’re both consenting adults.’ (October 13, 2014)
    He was controversially granted emergency powers to deal with the COVID-19 crisis.
    In a particularly unpopular decision, he reclosed the city’s restaurants and bars after they had been allowed to reopen (August 3, 2020).
    He resigned as mayor after admitting to an ‘inappropriate messaging relationship’ with TV anchor Maria Athens.
    He initially denied having been in a relationship with Athens, then admitted it after Athens publicized a nude photo, taken from behind, of a man she claimed was Berkowitz.
    Bernadette Wilson, his former radio cohost, quipped about his ability to continue leading during the epidemic, ‘It was definitely a little awkward to be told to wear a mask by a guy who didn’t even wear pants.’
    The audience at the Anchorage Assembly meeting where his resignation statement was read burst into applause and cheers.

Why he might not be annoying:

    Anchorage police and the FBI investigated claims by Athens that Berkowitz had posted nude pictures of himself on an ‘underage girls website’ and concluded that there was no evidence to support the allegations.
    Athens left him a profanity-laden voice mail in which she threatened to kill him and his wife and used anti-Semitic slurs.
    He resigned via a letter read to the Assembly by his chief of staff, sparing everyone the traditional weepy press conference with a stoic wife by the wrongdoer’s side.

Credit: C. Fishel


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 4 Votes: 75.00% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 3 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 16 Votes: 87.50% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 19 Votes: 94.74% Annoying