Council to fill vacant seat

DARRELL L. BREESE

Frontiersman reporter

WASILLA - Four candidates have applied to fill the seat on the Wasilla City Council left vacant after the resignation of Noel Lowe. Monday the council will select one of the four to fill Seat C until the completion of Lowe's term in October.

Each applicant will be interviewed by the council followed by a vote to select who will fill the vacancy.

Monday's voting will be done via a ballot point system. Each council member will be given a ballot containing the name of each of the applicants and will rate their choice in order of preference (first to fourth).

City Clerk Kristie Smithers will score the ballots, awarding points for position selected by each council member. Four points will be awarded for each first-place vote, three for second, two for third and one for fourth.

The city has used this system in the past to fill vacant council seats, most recently in 2004, when Verdie Bowen was selected to fill the vacancy left by Colleen Sullivan-Leonard.

Under the system, it is possible for the person who receives the most first-place votes not to be selected to fill the vacancy.

The candidate with the highest point total will be asked to fill the vacancy, if they refuse, the next highest point scorer will be offered the position.

Who are the candidates?

Verdie Bowen

Bowen has lived in the city of Wasilla since July 1995. He served on the City Council for nine months, completing the term of Colleen Sullivan-Leonard, who resigned her seat in 2004. He has also served on the city Parks and Recreation and Planning Commissions. During the 2004 election he lost a tight race to current Council member Mark Ewing.

Bowen currently works as a Senior Systems Engineer for Chenega Technology Service Corp. in Anchorage. Bowen has degrees in Electronic Systems, Visual Information Systems and is scheduled to complete a degree in Business Information Systems next month.

What he likes best and why he applied for the vacancy:

"The people of Wasilla are what I like the best. The city has a family atmosphere with the small town feel and the big city amenities. I applied for the vacant seat because I already have experience serving on the council and could maintain the continuity of the council if selected."

Steven Menard

Menard is a longtime Valley resident and has lived within the Wasilla limits since January 2004. He is a 1989 graduate of Wasilla High School, where he served as student body president. He served six years in the Marine Corps following graduation from the University of Alabama.

His past work experience includes an internship with U.S. Sen. Ted Stevens and former state Sen. Scott Ogan. Steve is the son of former state senator Curt Menard.

What he likes best about Wasilla and why he applied for the vacancy:

"Wasilla is my home town; I grew up here and am pretty partial to the people. The country small town feel and the hunting, fishing and great outdoors. It's the best of Alaska. Public service is something I've always wanted to do. Involvement in the community was part of my upbringing and instilled in me a motivation to do some good in the community."

Marty Metiva

A Wasilla resident since May of 2004, Metiva is currently employed as the director of sales and marketing for the Best Western Lake Lucille Inn. He has served as a volunteer director for Mat-Su Special Olympics and is on the Red Cross Leadership Council. Marty has an associate's degree in travel management.

Metiva owns and operates Northern Experience an Event Marketing Consulting Agency.

What he likes best about Wasilla and why he applied for the vacancy:

"The best part of Wasilla is its future. Our future is unstoppable with the right leadership. I decided to apply for the vacancy because I firmly believe that if I want to be part of the future of Wasilla, I need to take action."

Clifford Silvers

Silvers has lived in the city of Wasilla since 1975. He works as a heavy equipment operator and mechanic as well as serving as a deputy chief with the Mat-Su Search and Rescue department.

Silvers is a certified rescue diver and emergency medical technician. He has an Associates degree in Aviation Weather.

What he likes best about Wasilla and why he applied for the vacancy:

"I've lived here for 30 years so Wasilla is truly home. I really enjoy the senior citizens in the community, who have seen the city change over the years. I decided to apply for the vacancy because I've been stuck here for so long I thought I might as well try to correct some of the problems with the city."