Courting the Valley

PALMER — The Republican Party got its first look at the candidates running to replace Curt Menard as borough mayor.

Menard died March 3 and a special election, to be held June 9, will choose his replacement. Seven men have thrown their hats into the ring. Six of them came to Sophia’s KafeNeo to speak Thursday evening at a meeting of the state Republican Party’s District 13.

Talis Colberg, a former borough assemblyman and formerly attorney general for the state, said he sees two main issues of particular importance. First, he said, growth of borough government needs to remain stable and sustainable. Second, the borough needs to take the proper role when it comes to planning and zoning to make sure residents don’t adversely effect their neighbors. If such conflicts arise, there needs to be some mode of redress, he said.

“The local taxpayers do not pay for the borough government. They pay for about a third of it,” he said. He believes the borough needs to be prepared for when state and federal funding sources dry up or slow down.

Emil “Butch” Fondahn, a former boxer and fight organizer, said he’s a “strong union guy” and anyone who wants to join a union should be able to. He also brought up annexation issues

“If people don’t want to belong to the borough they shouldn’t have to,” he said.

Steve Menard, son of Curt Menard, said he wanted to work on his dad’s vision of economic diversity and expansion alleviating the tax burden. He saw two areas he described as “gold mines” for the borough — Port MacKenzie and Hatcher Pass. He said he’d seek to spur development at the port through the completion of a rail line to access it.

“Hopefully, I’m able to push through some of Dad’s dreams,” he said.

Frank Shor, a sometime farmhand and onetime Coast Guard cook, said he wanted to make sure the borough preserves farmland and works to make farming profitable. He also wants to see more public involvement in local government.

“We’ve got to watch ‘em,” he said.

David Straub, a Willow-area dog musher, said he has three main planks to his platform — roads, schools and trails. He wants to see trails linked together and education bolstered to create a good foundation for the Valley. He also said he wanted to change some of the way the borough does business.

“I think the borough pushes a lot of people around,” he said.

Bruce Walden, an Army veteran and Butte resident, said he didn’t think slowing the growth of government was good enough. He’d like to start shrinking it. He also wanted to keep borough regulations down and get the borough out of peoples’ lives.

“If we don’t get some conservatives, honest to God conservatives, on the assembly and into the mayor’s office we’re not going to change anything,” he said.

Moderator David Eastman asked candidates how they feel about the current system of borough government — would they favor keeping an appointed manager in charge or would they like to see an elected mayor heading things up?

Menard said three years ago he was fired up to change to a strong mayor system. Now, he’s more in favor of the managerial style, having seen exactly what goes into running the borough from day to day. He favors having a professional, rather than a politician, in charge.

“If you feel that a mayor is the way to go, change it. Vote it. But I would not personally feel that a mayor is the way to go,” he said.

Menard was in the minority on that point – the only other candidate to agree with him was Fondahn.

Colberg said the manager is in the spot now where he has to please at least four assembly members to get anything done. A strong mayor would be able to provide more of a clear vision.

For his part, Walden said a strong mayor government would be more democratic and more in keeping with America’s Constitution. He also felt the borough had outgrown the manager system.

“We’ve graduated out of kindergarten now. We’re big boys and girls,” he said.

Audience member Dallas Massie asked candidates for full disclosure of what special interest groups are supporting their campaigns.

Colberg said there have been 61 donors to his campaign — all individuals.

“I have received support from several people who don’t agree with one another,” he said. “Do I support the agendas of all of these groups? Obviously I can’t.”

Menard said running a campaign is expensive but, “as far as any organization that’s backing my campaign, there is none.”

The only candidate not to appear, John Leiner of Palmer, made a previous statement to the Frontiersman that seems to speak to this point: “My campaign is to have no campaign. People will either vote for me or they won’t. I will not accept any campaign contributions, nor will I spend even two cents of my own money,” he said.

Walden said his only affiliations are with the American Legion, the Army and the Republican Party. His three contributors have only made small donations. Fondahn said he’s running his campaign out of pocket.

As for Shor; “I’ve had one backer for my campaign. It’s my daughter and she’s in Homer,”

She didn’t have a lot to spare, he joked, and the money she donated might be enough for a campaign stop in Trapper Creek.

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