Menard off Wasilla City Council

WASILLA — Steve Menard’s last day as a Wasilla City Councilman is Monday.

After soundly losing a Tuesday recall election, the two-time councilman will officially be out of public office after the council votes to certify the results. The city’s unofficial tally has Menard behind 216 to 92, while the final margin of defeat won’t be known until later today when another 94 mail-in, absentee and early ballots will be counted, longtime city clerk Kristie Smithers said. Even if Menard gets all those votes, it still won’t be enough.

Menard came under political fire for his behavior while attending an August 2011 Alaska Municipal League event in Sitka that left a hotel room damaged, including urine on two beds, a burned mattress and vomit on the floor. The city had to pick up a $350 cleaning tab before the councilman was allowed to check out. He repaid that charge and reimbursed the city for the entire cost of his trip, more than $1,400.

After the incident, Menard admitted he has a problem with alcohol, said he has sought help, issued a public apology and maintained his passion for serving his community precluded him from resigning. That wasn’t enough for the local Conservative Patriots Group, which gathered more than 200 signatures on a petition to force Tuesday’s recall election, the first recall of an elected official for the city.

After the results were announced, Menard said he is disappointed, but respects the election process. He also said he isn’t sure whether a low 7.9 percent turnout worked for or against him.

“That is extremely low,” he said. “I don’t know if that was better or worse for me. Who knows how it would have turned out (had there been a larger turnout). I try to reflect on the positives of everything I’ve gone through over the last six months.”

While disappointing to Menard, the results were a refreshing sign for the Conservative Patriots Group, said Jennie Bettine, the organization’s president and CEO.

“We’re happy the Wasilla voters did decide character matters in our elected officials,” she said.

The vote also will hopefully bring to an end a difficult six months for the city, said councilwoman Colleen Sullivan-Leonard. Before the election, Sullivan-Leonard was critical of Menard’s actions and said she signed the recall petition.

“Certainly, the majority of people who came forward to vote voted loud and clear regarding Mr. Menard’s actions,” she said. “I do think it’s been a real tough six months for the city of Wasilla. I wish Mr. Menard the best.”

A conclusion also means the council can appoint a new member and get back to business, Sullivan-Leonard said.

“I think we really need to move forward, and lord knows, we have lots of projects we continue to work on,” she said. “I respect the process, but even more than that I think residents want people to serve for respectable and honorable reasons.”

Where the city goes from here

Moving forward, Smithers said she’ll ask the council to certify the election at its regular council meeting on Monday and is recommending a course of action for filling Menard’s vacant seat.

That process includes asking the public for applications for a brief period and the council bringing some in for interviews before appointing a new council member. By city statute, the council has 30 days to fill a vacancy, Smithers said, but she hopes a new member can be seated at the council’s Feb. 27 meeting. That new member will serve until the next regular municipal election, which is Oct. 2. Whoever wins that election for Seat F on the council will serve out the rest of Menard’s term, which is up in 2013.

Menard admitted the last six months have been difficult sharing his personal battles with alcohol with the public. Overall, though, he said the experience has been “life-changing” for the better.

“At the end of the day, I’m a better man, a better person, for this,” he said.

Menard also said he is concerned that his behavior may also be hurtful to his mother, state Sen. Linda Menard.

“I feel bad and I hope this isn’t a reflection on my mother,” he said. “I’ve been pretty open about my own personal demons, and I hopefully this doesn’t fall back on her. I wish I didn’t have to put her through it. … Everybody likes a (salacious) story, and I’m trying to remain humble through the whole process. I think a lot of (public perception) has to do with who I am and my family’s connection to this community. This was a juicy one.”

Menard said he will attend his last council meeting on Monday and that he respects the will of voters, even though the election went against him.

“Absolutely, this is the process,” he said. “Even though it didn’t turn out in my favor, I still believe in it, and I want to thank my supporters.”

What: Wasilla City Council meeting

Why: Certification of election to recall SteveMenard

When: 6 p.m., Monday

Where: Wasilla City Hall, 290 E. HerningAve.