Mayor, assembly appear to agree on commissioners

PALMER — It's taken a couple of months, but it looks like the Mat-Su Borough will soon have a full slate of planning commissioners.

Borough Mayor Talis Colberg has had the chance to nominate three people to the commission. His first nomination, Patrick Johnson, went through without a hitch. But his other picks — about a half dozen thus far — have drawn objections from the borough assembly, which must confirm his nominations.

The issue was among a handful of topics discussed Tuesday night when the two bodies met for a joint meeting. Commission chair Mark Masteller urged the assembly to fill the empty seats.

"I hope you guys can work it out because it's really critical to have all these seats filled," he said.

Colberg, for his part, has said he was seeking a diversity of opinions on the planning commission, which, in the eyes of some borough residents, has been lacking in the commission as it is currently constituted.

Tuesday, he said he believed the stalemate over candidates was reaching a resolution, one he hoped would pass the assembly at its meeting in two weeks.

In an interview, Colberg said he planned to nominate construction engineer Gary Foster to take one of the seats. He said if the assembly lets him have Foster, he’ll let them have their choice, John Anderson, a Willow-area home builder, to fill the second vacancy.

For more of this story, check Friday's Frontiersman.