Choice at top good for voters in Wasilla

The campaign for mayor of Wasilla got an early start this past week when a challenger to incumbent Dianne M. Keller threw her hat in the ring.

Citing dissatisfaction with the current winds blowing through city politics, Wasilla City Councilor Diana Straub announced Monday night that she will try to unseat Keller, a first-term mayor whose tenure at the city's helm has seemed at times to be more of a personal crusade than one for the betterment of the city and its residents.

Public service is never an easy task. Balancing the myriad needs of taxpayers is destined always to leave someone unhappy. But the most successful elected officials are the ones who can rise above petty personal concerns and never lose sight of big-picture issues and the public trust that must always be honored.

These do not appear to be talents that Keller has the makeup to master. And Straub's candidacy underscores this point.

The first-term council member rose to public office as Keller's campaign manager three years ago. Now, by the mayor's own admission, they have no relationship because of a disagreement over Straub's previous position as a legislative aide to Rep. Mark Neuman.

Keller's "my way or the highway" attitude extends to policy-making, which has led City Council debate on a downward spiral. Opinions contrary to hers are often met with incivility and even rudeness. And her bull-in-a-china-shop approach to personnel management has sown seeds of discontent and precipitated the "resignation" of one city employee.

It is no random emphasis, then, that Straub is placing on the need for diplomacy and a macro-managerial style in the conducting of city business. This more statesmanlike approach would only benefit the city and its taxpayers, who have had to foot the bill for some questionable fiscal decisions during Keller's term. A controversial traffic light, a vanity video and the recent awarding of a city contract to a nonlocal high bidder all show lack of good-faith stewardship of public funds.

There has been no shortage of whisperings of dissatisfaction about City Hall in recent months. But few have dared go public with their concerns for fear of incurring the mayor's wrath. Now that the first Keller challenger has made it official, this is likely to change.

But regardless of how anyone feels individually about the mayor or her challenger, it should be encouraging to Wasilla voters that they will have a choice when they go to the polls. We look forward to the campaign that lies ahead and urge city residents to pay close attention.