Making a comeback

It’s been six years since I resigned from the Legislature under very difficult circumstances, but I feel the timing is right to re-enter public service. After much thought and encouragement from friends and supporters, I’ve decided to file for the Wasilla City Council.

My goals as a councilman are to build on the city’s successes of recent years. The city has done a good job providing basic services while keeping costs down. I wish to contribute to a fiscally sound city hall, keeping taxes low and government regulations and controls to a minimum to encourage small business growth and a strong private sector. And I will emphasize basic services, including developing our infrastructure such as roads and utilities, to meet the demands of a growing Wasilla. I pledge to work hard and dedicate myself to these goals as part of a team effort on the council.

I’ve chosen to run for the council because there’s a lot I can contribute through my knowledge and experience from many years as a state representative. I understand the legislative process well and have a long track record of being frugal and focusing on core essentials such as roads, schools and public safety. I was proud of my reputation as a legislator for hard work, conservative principles and service to constituents, something I intend to continue at the city level. I have lots of energy, fight and enthusiasm left and am not dispirited by my awful legal saga. In fact, the experience, as challenging as it was, has made me a stronger person, more seasoned in life and has brought me closer to God and family.

I moved to Wasilla in 1976, the same month I graduated high school. The town had a population of less than 1,000 hearty souls, a true frontier town with lots of promise. It was an exciting time and a quiet, friendly community where you never locked your doors. Moose were everywhere. Wasilla now bustles with nearly 10,000 people with no end in sight. It’s a vibrant place bristling with huge potential and a great place to raise a family.

My folks purchased 8 1/2 acres in ’76 along Airport Heights Drive inside the city limits and later renamed Lucille Street. From that property, my father and I developed what is now Kohring Subdivision. Lucille was a two-lane dirt road with a car passing every 10 minutes. Now, it’s a major thoroughfare and one of the most heavily traveled streets in the city with thousands of cars daily.

It would be a great honor to serve my community again. I would be humbled to be given another opportunity after my personal legal trauma and intend to work hard to earn your vote and justify your faith in me. I will apply the same work ethic as before and be just as constituent-oriented as always. Wasilla continues to be a city of great promise with tremendous potential and a bright future. I’m proud of our town, a place that has provided real opportunity for my family and I.

I look forward to representing you on the Wasilla City Council and respectfully request your vote Oct. 1.

Vic Kohring is a 37-year Wasilla resident. He represented Wasilla in the Alaska state Legislature for seven terms from 1995-2007 and previously served as chairman of the Wasilla Planning and Utilities Commission.