Menard and Palin receive warm welcome from Wasilla Rotary Club

August 24, 2007

BY CHRIS GILLOW

Frontiersman

WASILLA - Gov. Sarah Palin helped honor longtime Mat-Su Borough resident and public servant mayor Curt Menard Thursday as a lifetime member of the Wasilla Rotary Club.

Palin also discussed her decision to call the Legislature into a special session beginning Oct. 18 to review the Petroleum Profits Tax. She hopes state lawmakers will re-examine the PPT for the state to receive the best deal possible. While the special session has been set, where it will happen has still not been announced - and she didn't break her silence on that Thursday, saying she will announce the location of the special session in early September.

&#8220If all goes well and by the grace of God, it will be five to six months until we take the first big step toward a secure financial future,” Palin said.

Palin then introduced Menard with some heartfelt stories that expressed her childhood memories of the man. Palin met Menard when she about 8. Similar to many people who grew up in the Mat-Su Valley, Menard was Palin's childhood dentist.

&#8220Mayor Menard has helped shape the Valley,” she said.

Dr. Menard has accomplished a great deal as a dentist, husband and father, and borough mayor, she said. So, it wasn't a surprise that the Wasilla Rotary Club wanted to award Menard with a lifetime membership.

&#8220I think this is excellent,” Menard said about the recognition. &#8220It is a wonderful honor and I plan to practice the ethical standards set by the club.”

As the event concluded, there was special surprise in store for the governor, who spent the day at various meetings and events around the Valley. Before she could make her way off stage, the Wasilla Rotary Club swept in and presented Palin with a lifetime membership of her own.