Video: Young Anchorage man tells Assembly why he’s moving. Assembly Chairman Constant then calls him dishonest and scolds the audience

You’ve heard that young people are leaving Anchorage. But why? Prices? Opportunity? Or liberal policies destroying the city?

Jordan Harary, a young technology professional and resident of Anchorage, stood at the podium in dress shirt, tie and slacks, and with poise gave the Anchorage Assembly a three-minute lesson on Tuesday about why Anchorage is dying and why he is leaving.

He told them he moved to Anchorage in 2008 when he was 20 years old to get away from the hellscape Los Angeles, and that he had unknowingly brought his liberal idealism with him. Anchorage has broken that idealism and liberal views, and he now realizes that the progressive policies that ruined Los Angeles are ruining his hometown of Anchorage as well.

At the end of his three minutes, Assembly Chairman Chris Constant called him dishonest, and then told the audience at the meeting that their clapping was celebrating dishonesty. He insinuated that if he had known what Harary had planned to testify about, he may not have allowed it. Under new rules of the Assembly, the three minutes of public testimony at the beginning of meetings has to be essentially submitted in advance and approved by the chairman.

No member on the Assembly dais interrupted to call a point of order about the chair disparaging a member of the public.

Watch Harary’s remarks and stick around to the end of the three minutes to see how Constant treats him after Harary’s prepared remarks, in the video clip here:

Harary ran for House in 2022 against Democrat Andrew Gray. Gray won the seat to represent East Anchorage in the Alaska Legislature.