Maureen “Maria” Athens, a veteran news host of Anchorage City, Alaska on the afternoon of October 9, posted a video on Facebook accusing Mayor Ethan Berkowitz of posting inappropriate photos online.
Hours later, Athens posted a nude photo allegedly of Mr. Berkowitz to back up her claim.
The married mayor quickly denied the allegations. Athens was “hostile”, he said. The television station where Ms. Athens worked also rejected her claim. At the end of the day, Ms. Athens was arrested for assaulting the director of the television station, the Washington Post said.
However, on the afternoon of October 12, the Mayor of Anchorage Ethan Berkowitz made a public apology and admitted each “inappropriate texting” to Mrs. Athens, 41.
“I apologize to the people of Anchorage for making a big mistake in deciding to have an inappropriate messaging relationship, based on mutual consent, with reporter Maria Athens,” said Mr. Berkowitz, 58 years old. “I am very ashamed of the hurt I have inflicted on my family and community. I take responsibility for my actions ”.
The story behind this Anchorage scandal is still blurred. Mr. Berkowitz continued to deny Ms. Athens’s claims and said law enforcement was also investigating and found he had done nothing wrong.
Mr. Berkowitz, a Democrat, became the mayor of Alaska’s most populous city in 2015. Before that, Mr. Berkowitz was a state congressman from 1997 to 2007. He is serving his last term as mayor and is not running for re-election this year.
Ms. Athens is the host and reporter for Your Alaska Link, which includes KTBY and KYUR channels.
On the night of October 9, after making a charge against Mr. Berkowitz, Mrs. Athens was arrested at Your Alaska Link headquarters after fighting with Scott Centers, the station’s general manager. Court records noted that Mr. Centers also had an affair with Athens, the Anchorage Daily News reported.