House District 13 candidates square off Thursday

WASILLA — The high drama of big-time political races has passed as the summer’s slate of events goes local Thursday.

Incumbent Republican state Rep. Carl Gatto will square off against challenger Don Benson, also a Republican, at 5:30 p.m. at the Alaska Club in Wasilla. The District 13 seat for which they are vying represents Palmer and the surrounding areas.

Until the end of the summer, with a brief hiatus for one more gubernatorial debate, the schedule calls for nothing but the most local of races. After the Gatto-Benson matchup, the series, sponsored by the Greater Palmer and Greater Wasilla chambers of commerce, moves on to city, Mat-Su Borough and school board elections.

The events are open to the public, said organizer Diana Straub, who extended an invitation to anyone interested in local politics.

“Tell them to bring any questions that they might have,” Straub said.

District 13 is one of only three contested Valley races this year — the other two are the incumbent-less District 16 seat representing the easternmost reaches of the borough plus Valdez, and District 15, where incumbent Republican Mark Neuman faces a feisty first-time challenger in the form of Stephen Jacobson.

But it’s not as crowded a field as it has been in the past. There is no Democrat in the District 13 race, for instance. It was briefly a three-way race on the Republican side, but David J. Parks has dropped out.

CARL GATTO

Gatto is a former educator, engineer and paramedic. He is seeking his fifth term in the House of Representatives.

He has said he wants to return to Juneau to finish the work he started there. Like most everyone else running for office this year, Gatto has a natural gas pipeline from the North Slope on the top of his list of things that need to be accomplished in the near term.

In addition to statewide issues, Gatto also sees a host of more local concerns that include transportation, education and other Valley issues and projects that need attention and funding from the state’s congressional delegation. His campaign website is carlgatto.com.

DON BENSON

Benson is a descendant of original Matanuska Valley Colonists. The Colony project was a Depression-era attempt to kick-start Alaska agriculture. Benson works for a Palmer-based company that brings telecommunications infrastructure to rural Alaska.

Like Gatto, Benson has natural gas on his mind. He is vice-chairman of the Alaska Natural Gas Development Authority and said he prefers the gas pipeline project that came about as part of the Alaska Gasline Inducement Act.

His campaign slogan is “Jobs and Energy” and, like Gatto, said he feels the Valley needs funding and support for local programs like transportation, education and public safety. His campaign website is donbenson.us.

MORE POLITICS

The schedule of events in the series of debates and forums has been something of a moving target with dates shifting and changing. There may be more changes to come, but for now here is the schedule:

Aug. 5: Mat-Su Borough Assembly candidates.

Aug. 12: Mat-Su Borough School Board candidates.

Aug. 19: A third event for gubernatorial candidates, this one featuring Sean Parnell, Bill Walker and Ralph Samuels.

Aug. 26: Wasilla City Council candidates.

All events begin at 5:30 p.m. in the theater at the Alaska Club in Wasilla. Straub said she believed the Palmer chamber was eyeing Sept. 9 as a possible day to hold a forum for Palmer city council and mayoral candidates. Who is invited might change once a field of candidates is firmed up following the filing deadline for that race at the end of this month.

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