Colberg a good addition to Palin team

It seems unlikely that there could be any lingering doubts remaining about Gov. Sarah Palin's sincerity in blazing a new path for state government. Throughout her campaign, she emphasized that politics as usual was not going to cut it in her administration.

Although it's the kind of promise often heard on the campaign trail, but too often discarded once a candidate is elected, Palin has made it clear, by word and deed, during the course of her transition from candidate to governor, that she intends to follow through on the promise. Wednesday's announcement that former Mat-Su Borough Assembly member Talis Colberg is Palin's pick to be the new attorney general is another step down that new path.

A longtime Palmer resident whose law practice has been a downtown staple for years, Colberg is a daring, but excellent, choice for the new governor's team. Colberg may not be well-known outside the Valley - indeed, Wednesday's announcement was met with a collective &#8220huh?” from the big-city media and Capitol insiders - but this is hardly the handicap that seems to be implied by those on the inside trying to make sense of the appointment.

Colberg's relatively low statewide profile is an excellent complement to Palin's own low-key, populist approach to governing. While previous attorneys general prepared themselves for public office in high-powered corporate positions or as oil industry lobbyists, far removed from the people they'd go on to serve, Colberg busied himself as an unassuming and scrupulously competent lawyer in the town he grew up in.

His own public service, on display during two laudable terms on the borough assembly, was marked by careful hard work and an earnest devotion to the community and those who call it home. Those who served with Colberg, while not always in philosophical agreement with him on issues, describe him in similar terms - honest, ethical, detail-oriented.

These are desirable qualities for anyone in any position. When they are part of the package for a public servant, everyone benefits - perhaps doubly so, in this case, given Alaska's recent history with attorneys general.

Those who wonder - with the same underlying condescension that was directed at Palin's campaign - how an otherwise unknown small-town attorney could possibly handle the rigors of, say, negotiating a gas pipeline deal, we say look at the record. He'll negotiate honestly, ethically and with attention to detail. Lacking a background as an oil industry insider, he'll also likely negotiate by putting the interests of Alaskans first. That should be enough.

Additionally, as Palin pushes forward with long overdue ethics reform, she will have a capable and driven partner in Colberg.

We applaud the governor for staying true to her word and striking a nontraditional chord in choosing Colberg to be the state's attorney general. And we congratulate Colberg for taking on the challenge that lies ahead. It is no small task, to be sure. But we are confident that he will prove to be a refreshingly vital presence in the halls of the Capitol.