Jumping for Juneau: Municipal pols taking their shots at state office

Frustration over, and a lack of confidence in the performance of the state houses in Juneau, has prompted outsiders from all over to jump into the race.

But for every citizen-politico jumping in the pool, there’s also no shortage of elected officials on the local level thinking the water is just right for them.

In the Wasilla-Palmer area, four are on Tuesday’s Republican primary ballot, with Palmer Mayor DeLena Johnson going head-to-head with Palmer City Council member Richard Best vying for House Representative 11, as well as Wasilla City Council members Colleen Sullivan-Leonard, going for House seat 7, and David Wilson, seeking to make the jump to Senate Seat D.

The winner of the Best-Johnson primary will wind up the heavy favorite in November with no Democrat on the ballot, and non-affiliated candidate Bert Verrall a newcomer to politics.

If Best wins what figures to be a tight race, the Palmer council would find itself down two members, as Johnson has announced her second mayoral term will be her last.

“I knew there was an open seat, but I didn’t’ decide to run right away. I took a while. It wasn’t until a number of business leaders in the community asked me to please continue my public service because it was needed in Juneau,” Johnson said. “I told them I’d think about it. I talked to my family and decided, after some prayer and thought and consultation, to do it.”

Johnson believes her experience as mayor leaves her uniquely qualified to help improve communication in state government.

“My particular skill set is best served in fixing and sorting out problems and we’ve sorted out a lot of things in the city of Palmer,” she said. “I wanted to see businesses taking off (in Palmer) and that’s happened. All those things are in place, we have huge projects going on and that’s going to be excellent revenue for the city.”

All along the way for that ride was Best, who’s been on the council for 11 years. Best feels his ability to maximize efficiencies and make tough cuts makes him the better solution for District 11, and helping others come through the district to the state level has prepared him.

“I think I have educated myself in the process very well,” Best said, adding that his time on the council has prepared him to be on the receiving end of the criticism that awaits the next legislature. “In 11 years on the Palmer City Council, if you haven’t upset somebody, then you weren’t doing your job right. Those hard discussions and hard decisions have to be made or we’re not going to get there.”

Of the two Wasilla council members, Sullivan-Leonard has probably the more likely path to Juneau, favored against Brandon Montano in Tuesday’s Republican primary on her way to meet Sherie Olson, the lone Democrat in November.

“I’ve been on the Wasilla City Council for six years and I feel like I’ve done some really good work there,” said Sullivan-Leonard, who ran for the house unsuccessfully in 2004. “I saw challenges in Juneau of people not working well together and I’d like to have that chance to contribute at the state level.”

She believes her experience in city government transitions naturally to the state level.

“At the local level you are closest to the people and you see the ramifications of state government when it’s working well or it’s not,” Sullivan-Leonard said. “I think there’s a lot of philosophies in how you govern. Some believe less is better, others want taxes and others can’t see past the end of their nose — can’t see the future of the state. That’s how you end up with a fracturing of the house, and that never goes well. The people in the Mat-Su have really been working well together, collaboratively on both sides.”

Whether Wilson, bypassing the house and jumping right to the senate while in his first term on the Wasilla City Council has a tough challenge in front of him on Tuesday, going against District 7 legislator Lynn Gattis. But whatever the outcome, the social worker at Alaska Family Services, where he oversees domestic violence programs and is an advocate for its sexual assault response team, certainly has a bright political future.

“I deal with both sides, in terms of victims and offenders of crime and our agency is probably the largest social service in the Valley,” Wilson said.

The one downside to winning a seat in the Senate, for Wilson, would be that he probably could not keep his day job in its current capacity.

“I would love it if I could teach a class from time to time and volunteer in some capacity,” he said.

Contact editor Matt Hickman at 352-2268 or matt.hickman@frontiersman.com