John Novak named Anchorage district attorney

Anchorage district attorney Richard Allen has resigned his position to take a job with the Palmer District Attorney’s Office, the state Attorney General’s Office said in a statement Tuesday.

Attorney General Kevin G. Clarkson has appointed longtime prosecutor John Novak as the new district attorney for Anchorage, Assistant Attorney General Cori Mills said. Novak previously worked as a deputy district attorney in the Anchorage DA office and in the Criminal Division of the Department of Law, where he provided legal advice to the Department of Public Safety.

The move came at the request of the new attorney general, who “determined that he would like new leadership,” Mills said.

“Rick Allen is a talented attorney, and the attorney general has said as much, but he thought that he would be a better fit in the Palmer Office,” Mills said.

Allen, who had replaced Clint Campion as Anchorage DA in 2017, served for just over a year as the district attorney for Alaska’s largest city. He will be an Assistant DA in the Palmer Office.

“I could not think of someone better than John to take on the important role of Anchorage DA,” said Attorney General Clarkson said in a statement Tuesday. “With the rising crime rates, it is more important than ever to have an experienced prosecutor leading the largest DA’s office in our state. His nearly 30 years of experience trying cases, supervising other attorneys, and giving advice to DPS gives him the tools needed to run the office and build up morale. I want to thank John for stepping up and taking on this leadership role."