Borough mayor to switch jobs after election

PALMER — Talis Colberg has set the date of his resignation as Mat-Su Borough mayor — Oct. 20.

Resigning that far out means that the mayor’s race will likely be decided in a special election. Colberg said he chose that date for a number of reasons, but noted that if he hadn’t remained on the job until after a new assembly is seated — the assembly election is Oct. 5 — there wouldn’t be anyone running meetings until after his replacement was seated.

The mayor selects an assembly person to serve as deputy mayor and the deputy mayor steps in when the mayor is absent. But the deputy mayor is Lynne Woods, who has reached her limit of terms and can’t run for assembly again.

“Unless I stay until Oct. 20 there is no mechanism” to appoint a new deputy mayor, Colberg said. “I’ll name a deputy mayor and then I’ll be done.”

Colberg is resigning in order to take the reins as director of Mat-Su College. Fran Ulmer, chancellor of the University of Alaska, chose Colberg for that post at the end of last month.

Resigning on Oct. 20, Colberg said, also keeps him in good stead with his soon-to-be employer.

“The chancellor wanted that I be done by the end of October,” Colberg said.

There are still a few things left to decide in terms of the order of succession for the mayor’s job. Colberg said the assembly still has to pick a date for a special election that will chose the new mayor.

That question is complicated by a referendum on the general election ballot that would, if passed, drastically change the role of the mayor, tacking onto the job most of the responsibilities currently held by the borough manager.

Colberg said his sense is that the assembly will likely set a special election date far enough out that the question of what type of job the mayoralty is will be settled before a final list of candidates is solidified.

“They haven’t set it yet, so it’s not certain,” Colberg said.

That question goes before the assembly in a special meeting called for Thursday.

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