Candidate sets good example

Sometimes blind acrimony seems the natural byproduct to hotly contested primary races such as the recent primary between incumbent state Sen. Linda Menard and challenger Mike Dunleavy.

Theirs was a hard-hitting contest featuring two Republican candidates that drew statewide interest and opinions. In the end, it is the challenger Dunleavy who will head to Juneau to represent the people of the Mat-Su Borough in the Alaska Legislature.

We published a letter Sept. 9 from Dunleavy that we’d like to highlight in this space today. In his letter, he thanked voters “who exercised their precious right to vote for your support.” And he said he “will work hard to earn your continued confidence, and all of us working as a team will make sure that the voices of the Valley are heard in Juneau.”

In some ways, it’s the typical sort of letter we receive from winning candidates. But it’s more than that. To his credit, Dunleavy devotes the majority of his ink to praise for his opponent and her family’s legacy of service to Alaska and the Mat-Su Valley.

“I wish to thank Senator Menard and her family for the decades of public service she and her family have given to the Valley and state in both the private and public sectors.

“Her contributions and that of her late husband, Curt, are well known to many and appreciated by all. Suffice to say, Alaska and the Mat-Su Valley are better places as a result of Linda and Curt’s contributions.

“Next time you see Linda, please join me in thanking her for her service to our state and community.”

This is the sort of classy move we’d like to see more of from our elected representatives. Dunleavy deserves kudos for placing a higher value on dignity and self-respect than on merely winning an election. We hope this signals a permanent shift toward statesmanship and service to the people over service to any party.

When Sen. Menard’s term ends, it will be the first time in a generation — if our memory serves — that a member of this family has not held elected office at some level of Valley government.

Most recently, son Steve Menard served on the Wasilla City Council. His father, Curt Menard was Mat-Su Borough mayor at the time of his death in March 2009.

Curt Menard was a pilot, a dentist and a legislator. He came to Alaska with the Air Force and stayed. He served on the Mat-Su Borough School Board from 1984 to 1986. He represented the Valley first in the state House of Representatives and then in the state Senate from 1986 to 1994. His term as borough mayor began in 2006.

Sen. Linda Menard ran for Seat G in 2008, defeating former longtime senator Lyda Green. Before that, Menard served 12 years on the Mat-Su Borough School District Board of Education.

Looking back, it seems hard to overstate the Menard family’s role in shaping the Mat-Su Valley. Thank you to the Menard family for your decades of service to the Mat-Su Borough and the state of Alaska.