Assembly denies mayor again

PALMER — For a second time in less than two months the borough mayor found himself sparring with assembly members over his picks for the planning commission.

At Tuesday’s assembly meeting, Mayor Talis Colberg nominated two people to fill vacant seats on the commission, which currently has three seats open. One of his picks — incumbent Patrick Johnson — passed without comment.

But his second pick, James Norcross, drew an objection from Assemblyman Vern Halter.

The planning commission is generally assumed to consist of one member from each assembly district, though Colberg said his reading of the codes indicates that structure isn’t a formal requirement, more a matter of custom. Generally, the assembly member representing each district has a say in who got the corresponding planning commission seat.

Norcross who, according to his application for the planning commission, owns a mining operation, would have taken the seat reserved for Halter’s district — the northern stretches of the Valley including Houston, Willow and Talkeetna.

“Mr. Norcross has campaigned against me openly, actively,” Halter said, noting that Norcross had made statements opposed to planning.

Colberg said his talks with Norcross didn’t include any anti-planning sentiments.

“He said, ‘I’m not against planning. It’s a matter of what is the proper level of planning,’” Colberg said.

The last time Colberg fought this battle was in December when his nomination of construction contractor Gary Foster to fill a planning commission seat failed. In that go-round, Assemblywoman Lynne Woods objected to Colberg’s pick, saying she preferred, instead, candidate Ken Klunder. The seat, which corresponds to Woods’ district, remains open.

Colberg said his picks were directed, mostly, at balancing the opinions of the planning commission. He said that while he campaigned for mayor, many of his constituents told him, “The constitution of the planning commission as it’s been currently constituted is hostile to business.”

Foster, then, was an attempt to get a more pro-business voice on the commission. Norcross is an attempt to do the same.

“When there’s an imbalance in the discussion, the discussion tends to lean too far to one side or the other,” Colberg said. “I think it would be healthy for the planning commission to have a variety of opinion.”

And, he said, the debate around his picks seems to call into question his role in the nomination process.

“I don’t just want to roll over and say I don’t have a role here,” he said.

He said nominating one person — Johnson — with assembly approval and one without — Norcross — was his attempt at compromise on the issue. From his point of view, if he could get one pro-business voice on the commission out of three seats he has to fill, that would be progress.

But, eventually, Norcross’ nomination failed 4-3.

Contact Andrew Wellner at andrew.wellner@frontiersman.com or 352-2270.

How they voted:

Should James Norcross be appointed to the borough’s planning commission?

• Ron Arvin: Yes

• Cindy Bettine: No

• Jim Colver: No

• Mark Ewing: Yes

• Vern Halter: No

• Pete Houston: No

• Lynne Woods: Yes