Mayor is ‘way busy’ to begin first term

WASILLA — Roads, jobs, rebuilding trust with residents and generating more revenue. Those are among the challenges facing Wasilla Mayor Verne Rupright.

It’s shaping up to be a challenging three years as the city continues to develop and more residents move in from Anchorage. Only two days on the job, Rupright summed up his first 48 hours with two words.

“Way busy.”

Edging out his opponent, former Wasilla city councilman Marty Metiva, in a run-off election for mayor, Rupright takes over for Dianne M. Keller, who left office because of term limits.

He’s the first male mayor in 12 years, following Keller and Sarah Palin, who is now governor.

With all eyes on Wasilla these days, Rupright said he’s ready to apply his experience as an attorney and all-around professional to the city’s top administrative post. The first order of business for Rupright is staffing, which doesn’t seem to be changing anytime soon.

“I think the public expects a certain level of continuity,” Rupright said.

On his first day, the new mayor made the rounds to meet department heads and get a bead on what each manager expects from him.

He also got used to his new office on the second floor of Wasilla City Hall and was dictating a note to his assistant Wednesday after diving into mayoral duties.

It’s no secret Wasilla is changing drastically. From congestion on its roads to complaints about a lack of high-paying jobs, residents have been airing their grievances in front of city council and pleading for change.

Those are just some of the issues Rupright will have to face, along with, some say, rebuilding the trust lost by many residents after a corruption scandal that dogged the mayor’s office over the summer.

Rupright said he believes he’ll create an administration that will hold the trust of residents and he welcomes input from anyone, at virtually any time.

“This mayor’s office is receptive to fresh ideas and complaints,” he said.

Shouldering the responsibility for the employees of the city, Rupright said he will govern with a “the buck stops here” mentality.

“As the CEO, you can’t pass the buck or ship off blame,” he said.

And now that the honeymoon of swearing-in ceremonies and photo opportunities is over, Rupright said he’s getting down to business.

One of the goals of a Rupright administration will be to look into whether the city can prosecute misdemeanors and traffic violations itself. The plan is something Rupright touted during his campaign and, he said, it’s a change that could bring a new stream of revenue for the city.

He’ll also explore ways to attract and retain higher paying jobs in an effort to keep Wasilla residents working in the town where they live, he said.

Wasilla is known for service sector jobs, and the burgeoning market of big box stores moving into the town has provided mostly lower-wage, non-career positions for residents.

The effect amounts to a mass exodus of residents who head an hour away every day to Anchorage for better paying jobs.

Just two days into his position, Rupright is already looking to the future. He said he plans to run for a second term, largely because he doesn’t think he can get to all his goals in three years. He also said he wants to set a new standard for what it takes to be Wasilla’s mayor.

“I want to be able to raise the bar for future mayors,” he said.

Contact Michael Rovito at michael.rovito@frontiersman.com or 352-2252.