Hopefuls stepping up to fill House vacancy

July 8, 2007

By Will Elliott

Frontiersman

WASILLA - A growing list of hopeful Republicans is taking shape to fill the seat Rep. Vic Kohring will vacate later this month.

Kohring, who faces charges of bribery and extortion, announced his resignation last month while vowing to prove his innocence and return to public life. In the mean time, Gov. Sarah Palin will be asked to appoint a replacement to finish Kohring's term, which ends in 2008. With District 14 Republicans expected to send a list of three suggested replacements to Palin at the end of the week, some of the hopefuls are stepping out.

Wasilla City Councillor Steve Menard and former council member Colleen Sullivan-Leonard both want to be the state's newest House representative. Both work on Palin's staff, but said they don't expect their ties to the governor's office to earn them special consideration. They have applied to the District 14 Republicans and not the governor.

&#8220I'm not going to circumvent the system,” said Sullivan-Leonard. She promises to bring new direction to the seat. Sullivan-Leonard is the daughter of the former Anchorage mayor and former legislative aide to Rep. Carl Gatto.

Candidate Darroll Hargraves is also going through party channels, although last fall he supported the Democratic challenger for District 14 and was already mounting a campaign to run against Kohring in 2008 when the lawmaker announced his resignation. Hargraves said his lack of support for Kohring does not mean he will show a lack of support for the Republican platform. He believes in standing by the best candidate, regardless of party affiliation.

&#8220In the last two campaigns I've supported other people,” he said. &#8220If you're a quality candidate, I'll support you. From my viewpoint that's good, solid Republican conservatism.”

Hargraves called himself a lifelong Republican whose conservatism surpassed Kohring's.

Other potential candidates could not be reached for comment and confirmation of their interest.

For local District 14 Republicans charged with submitting three nominations, Steve Colligan leads the selection committee and said the group is still pulling together a list of hopefuls to be interviewed. Since Kohring's resignation, the district has solicited written applications from candidates. Those applications will be considered along with interviews in choosing the top three contenders.

&#8220We've got a pretty rigorous process,” Colligan said, adding that of the five or six candidates Colligan expects the district to interview, all are well-qualified. He declined to divulge the identities of the applicants.

The final decision &#8220might be pretty close,” he said. &#8220It's encouraging.”

Those qualifications will be tested in 2008 when the seat is up for re-election. With that in mind, the committee is looking for a viable candidate willing to run for the post again in 2008 rather than just be a seat-warmer, selection committee member Greg Koskela said.

Neither Colligan nor Koskela could say specifically what questions the candidates would be asked, although they did say contenders would be ranked by a point system. Colligan said the committee would be looking for candidates who would work to advance the party's platform, but it is not necessary for candidates to closely share Kohring's beliefs.

Although he's stepping down, Kohring is still giving his two-cents about potential replacements.

&#8220People will respect you more if you follow your heart and convictions, what you truly believe, as opposed to telling people what you think they want to hear,” Kohring said. &#8220Your word is your bond. Be truthful and follow through on your promises.”

Kohring also hopes the incoming legislator will be &#8220a person who truly desires to be a public servant and make the community a better place to live, instead of one seeking a title or desiring the attention that so many politicians crave.”

District 14 Republicans will take applications through July 11. Candidates should e-mail district chair Colligan at stevecolligan@gmail.com. The top three will be announced at 7 p.m. Friday at the Wasilla Multi-Use Sports Complex. The press conference is open to the public.

The district will forward those names to the governor, who can choose from the list or pick a replacement of her own.

Palin's appointee must be confirmed by House Republicans in a majority vote, which could happen during a potential special session on oil taxes this fall, or in January during the next regular session.

If House Republicans reject the governor's appointee, she has another 10 days to repeat the selection process and choose a new candidate.

Contact Frontiersman reporter Will Elliott at 352-2252 or will.elliott@frontiersman.com.