7 in hunt for Wasilla City Council

WASILLA — Sometimes you do get what you wish for.

After failing to come to a consensus on a candidate to fill the seat vacated by recalled Wasilla City Councilman Steve Menard, the council asked for more candidates.

Until an hour before Friday’s noon deadline, the original three council hopefuls — John Luberger, Patrick Johnson and Glenda Leford — were the only applicants. But before the deadline passed, four more people had applied. New candidates for appointment are Patrick Brown, Jessica Dean, Steven DeHart and Brandon Wall.

The council will hear from each of the seven applicants at Monday’s regular meeting, which begins at 6 p.m., at Wasilla City Hall. They’ll also be asked questions before the council tries again to select a person to fill the vacant Seat F until the Oct. 2 election. The council was unable to decide on an applicant at the Feb. 27 meeting.

On Monday, the city clerk and legal counsel could also recommend the council agree to a secondary protocol for making a selection if no one gets the four votes required for approval.

In addition to their applications, the hopefuls also submitted letters explaining why they would like to be a council member. Following in alphabetical order are summaries of the candidates:

Patrick Brown

Patrick Brown is a local volunteer and advocate. He’s a former two-time candidate for the council, having run for Seat F in 2010 and lost to incumbent Colleen Sullivan-Leonard in 2011.

“Due to a lack of consensus by our city council (on Feb. 27), I was approached by members in our community and asked to consider filling this position to help and support our city,” Brown says in his letter of support. “Why Wasilla? Because I care. … The reason for my selection may be best summed up in one word: accountability.”

Jessica Dean

Jessica Dean says in her application that she’s a small business owner and has been a city resident since 2010.

“I am interested in the open city council position seat because I have a vested interest in this community,” she wrote in her letter. “I live here, own a small business and I am raising two children here.”

Steven DeHart

Steven DeHart is a retired Alaska State Trooper and is a Navy and Alaska Air National Guard veteran. He’s a former city Parks and Recreation Commission member and is currently on the Wasilla Planning Commission.

“My past and current professions and appointments have provided me with extensive leadership training and experience,” DeHart wrote in his letter. “I have also had extensive experience in interpreting statutes and policies and applying them to different situations and investigations. I have strong organizational skills, I work well with the public and I have good people skills.”

Patrick Johnson

Patrick Johnson has lived in Wasilla since 1967 and ran for the council in its first city election in 1973. More recently, he ran for the Mat-Su Borough Assembly in 2011 against Steve Colligan.

In addition to extensive experience working with various borough boards and committees, Johnson says in his letter he has “the time and energy to devote to city business since I am now retired. I am a disabled Vietnam veteran. … I voted in favor of incorporation and ran for office on the council in 1973.”

He’s also a longtime assistant Scoutmaster with Boy Scout Troop 300 and volunteers in the community.

Glenda Ledford

A local beauty shop owner, Glenda Ledford, like Brown, also is a former council candidate. She finished second to Menard in a five-way race for Seat F in 2010.

“I have served on the Wasilla City Planning Commission, have been a board member of the Wasilla Area Seniors (Inc.),” she says in her letter. “I am presently the chair of the state of Alaska Board of Barbers and Hairdressers and the Republican chair of our new House District 9E. These experiences and connections of prior and ongoing community service, as well as a proven business background, provide the knowledge and force that will help our city advance and provide meaningful economic development.”

John Luberger

John Luberger is a retired business owner who previously served on the council for five months in 2010 after former council member Nancy Hall resigned because she moved out of the country.

If chosen, he said he’s interested in serving on an interim basis again.

“I care deeply for my community and state, and feel that I have many qualities that would be beneficial to the council and the community,” Luberger says in his letter. “I have been a business owner for over 50 years, most of which have been in Alaska.”

Brandon Wall

Like DeHart, Brandon Wall also has served on the city’s Parks and Recreation Commission and Planning Commission.

“I believe I would represent a part of the city that I don’t believe is currently represented — the Anchorage commuters,” he says in his letter. “Additionally, I believe my experience in business, managing a team of engineers, project managers and interns, would be an asset to the council.”

Contact reporter Greg Johnson at greg.johnson@frontiersman.com or 352-2269.