7 on city of Palmer election ballot

By Frontiersman.com

The city of Palmer elections are Tuesday.

Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. at the Mat-Su Borough building.

Current mayor Steve Carrington is among seven in the 2022 ballot. The list also includes Carolina Anzilotti, Cecilia Bradford, Josh Tudor, John Alcantra, Richard Best and Thomas Ojala.

Below are responses to questions submitted to each candidate by the Frontiersman.

Carolina Anzilotti

I manage a family-owned coffee shop in downtown Palmer. I have lived in the Palmer area for eight years and within the Palmer city limits for seven years.

I was appointed to the council seat I currently hold in January 2022 by Mayor Carrington, and I have spent the past eight months actively improving my knowledge of public service and what my job as a council member entails.

I am currently obtaining my degree in politics, economics, and philosophy from Liberty University (of Virginia), which has assisted me immensely. Additionally, I was accepted into the (Alaska Policy Forum) Alaska Leadership Academy’s inaugural class and will be attending that over the next school year.

If I am elected, my goals as a council member are to be available and accountable to my constituents and represent them well. I will listen to and weigh every opinion to make wise decisions for our city. I would also advocate for more public involvement in local elections and community meetings, since government with low public participation makes such an impact on our day-to-day lives.

I am committed to maintaining a safe and prosperous community with minimal government, and I will continue to prioritize Palmer’s traditions while accommodating the growth the city has experienced over the past few years. Palmer is a wonderful place to live, and I want to keep it that way.

Cecelia Bradford

I retired from the Federal Aviation Administration as the Great Lakes Regional Administrator, a Senior Executive position after 34 years of having workd all over the U.S.

I was born in Anchorage, raised at the Butte (in Mat-Su) and attended Palmer elementary, junior high, and high schools. I attended Alaska Methodist University and Alaska Pacific University. I moved home to Palmer in 2019. I am a member of the Matanuska Valley Federal Credit Union Board of Directors, the Moose and Elk lodges, Rotary, and Quilts of Valor.

Of experience in politics directly, I have none. However, as a federal employee and public service senior executive I worked with various levels of political leadership, including six months in the (congressional) Legislative Fellows program working for Senator Bob Dole. This is my first run for public office.

If elected, my focus will be to be sensitive and listen to the voices and needs of the community, to be inclusive in decision making, open to all perspectives, and supportive of change for the betterment of the community.

Steve Carrington

I work full time as a contractor for Brice Engineering and for the Alaska Army National Guard as a Visual Information Administrator and IT Administartor. I also work a side job – as Palmer Mayor!

I grew up in the Palmer area as a teenager and have lived in the city of Palmer for 30 years. I have served on the Palmer City Council for 16 years. Some of these were in the 1990s, some in the 2000s and some from 2013-2021. I have served as Palmer Mayor since November 2021.

On current issues, we have started discussions with the Alaska Railroad about how we can use our railroad right-of-way in town. I plan to help lead discussions via public forums this fall on how Palmeranians want to use the railroad right-of-way. In the last year we have been communicating more with our community partners, like the Chamber of Commerce, and others. I plan to increase communications in working with others.

John Alcantra

I serve as the Business and Community Liaison for the Alaska Job Corps Center. I have lived in Palmer 18 years but I have lived in and around Palmer most of my life

I served as the Government Relations Director for the largest employee organization in the State from 2002-2014. I also have worked on numerous campaigns, and ran for the State House myself in 1992, finishing second in a field of seven.

My priorities are the nuts-and-bolts of the city: Water and sewer, economic growth, and dealing with issues as they come up, and keeping Palmer the best city in Alaska.

Thomas Ojala

I am an electrician and have worked as a contractor for the U.S. Army on Fort Richardson (now Joint Base Elemendorf Richardson) for almost 15 years. I maintain the fort and help keep it running. I have lived in the valley for 36 years and in Palmer off and on over the years. I bought the house I live in now in 2015. I went to Pioneer Peak Elementary, and Colony Middle and High school. I won a state championship in shot put for Colony in 1998.

I have recently started work on the city council after having been appointed by the council in May to fill a vacancy. My goals are to maintain support for public safety and to help Palmer prosper, for our children and the future of our community.

Joshua Tudor

I have lived in Palmer for 15 year and own a small IT company called North Peak IT, and work actively as an IT consultant. I have worked in planning and zoning for the City of Palmer for about four years prior to joining the city council this summer.

As a father of 3 and a business owner who works with many business in the city, I am worried about the rise in vagrancy in the city. I plan on working with Palmer Police, the city government and residents to reduce vagrancy. This is a huge detriment to our community and something I have seen increase in the 15 years I have lived here.

I have been told many times by businesses around Palmer how they feel unsafe and how staff have been harassed. If we let this continue, we will see a loss of tourism, a community that is less safe, and a loss of small businesses. I will work to make Palmer safe again.

I want to ensure that Palmer is a business-friendly environment, that we attract good paying jobs to Palmer and that we keep taxes low. As a business owner I want to ensure that city government plans for the future so we can help Palmer grow. I believe that city government should be small, lean, and responsive to ensure that it focuses on the core essential things such as proper funding and planning for city utilities, emergency services, and roads. As such I want to ensure that city council focuses on listening and working with the community rather than politics.