Menard recall moves forward

WASILLA — While embattled city councilman Steve Menard continues to express passion for public service and vows to serve out the last two years of his term, that decision may soon be out of his hands.

An application for a recall petition filed Sept. 2 with the Wasilla City Clerk’s office seeks to remove the two-time councilman, citing misconduct in office during a trip to Sitka last month to attend the Alaska Municipal League’s summer meetings. Menard’s conduct came to light when he checked out of the Westmark Sitka after a three-day stay. At that time, hotel staff discovered extensive damage to his room and charged the city $350 in cleaning costs.

An itemized bill from the hotel lists the damage as including a pair of mattresses and a chair ruined by urine, a burned mattress and vomit on the carpet. Following a 50-minute executive session with the rest of city council after their return from the conference, Menard agreed to repay the entire cost of his trip — about $1,400 — and he was barred from traveling as a representative of the city.

But that action doesn’t go far enough for the Conservative Patriots Group, a local organization that president Jennie Bettine has said promotes conservative family values and ethics in government.

The recall application filed is supported by CPG and is fairly straightforward, said Deanna Didrickson, a Wasilla resident listed as one of two contact persons on the application. When asked why she believes Menard should be recalled, Didrickson answered with a question of her own.

“I think that’s kind of obvious, isn’t it?” she said. “I wouldn’t want a person of that caliber representing the Mat-Su Valley. The Valley gets enough attention through other things. People call us ‘Valley trash,’ and we don’t need any of that. It was a terrible offense. What he did to that hotel room? My goodness.”

The city clerk’s office has 10 business days, or until Sept. 19, to determine if the language and reasons stated in the recall application are adequate. If they are, the petitioners would need to gather a little more than 200 signatures of registered Wasilla voters, or a number equal to at least 25 percent of the turnout for the last election.

Alaska Statutes (AS 29.26.240-260) lists three reasons as grounds for recall: misconduct in office, incompetence or failure to perform prescribed duties. According to the recall application, Menard’s behavior constitutes misconduct.

While in Sitka, “Menard, without good cause, failed to carry out his official duties,” the application says. “Menard remained overnight at the Westmark hotel and while intoxicated, he inflicted substantial damage to his hotel room and directed the hotel to bill the city of Wasilla for the damage.”

For his part, Menard said he understands why some may want to remove him from office, but he said his passion for being a city councilman is strong and he’s determined to use these events as a catalyst to fight and win his well-documented battle with alcohol.

“Today is day 30 (sober),” he said Friday. “I’m feeling great spiritually, emotionally and physically I’m a lot healthier. … Steve Menard the councilman today is rejuvenated. It’s neat to see I still have that passion. I just love being a councilman. I love the idea that if somebody has an issue or problem in our city, they can contact me and I can get them to the person who can answer them or answer them myself.”

Eight years in the U.S. Marine Corps taught him not to quit or give up when things get tough, Menard said.

“I’m Semper Fi,” he said. “They’re going to have to get me kicking and screaming to get out of office. I’m more determined than ever, I believe in never quitting. You serve at the will of the people, and if the will of the people changes, I’ll respect their decision. I’m definitely not a quitter.”

Bettine couldn’t be reached for comment on the application filing before press time, but said previously the Conservative Patriots Group intends to pursue the recall until its conclusion at the ballot box.

“We had hoped (Menard) would have been man enough to man up and say, ‘I did something wrong and the people who voted for me shouldn’t have to put up with this,’” she said in an interview last month. “He did not choose to do that. … He really should just resign and not put the city through this.”

Didrickson said when she talks to her friends and neighbors about Menard’s behavior in Sitka, their reaction “is just about the same as mine. They’re embarrassed by this person in a public office.”

In the month since the Sitka incident, Menard said he’s learned a lot about himself and about facing up to his biggest foe — fear.

“Fear is a very powerful anti-motivator,” he said. “When the story first broke, I just kind of wanted to crawl into a hole and hide, because that fear factor just gets to you. Then you realize if you can survive life in general, you can handle anything.”

Asked what he’s learned over the past month, Menard said he’s learned who his true friends are and he’s been thinking a lot about something his father, former Mat-Su Borough Mayor Curt Menard, used to say.

“Life is hard and it’s really hard if you do stupid (stuff).”

“I hear that saying in my head and my dad talking to me saying, ‘Hey, Bozo, you really got into it on this one.’ But, what are your options? To give up? Hell no. I think I have learned from it, but actions speak louder than words. Right now, I have a lot of trust rebuilding to do.”

RECALL LANGUAGE

If the city of Wasilla finds an application to circulate a petition to recall councilman Steve Menard can move forward, the application states suggested language for the petition:

“Steve Menard shall be removed from his elected position as a Wasilla City Council member for misconduct in office. The actions taken by the city council to impose both a sanction against Menard and also require that Menard make full restitution for all costs incurred by the city, including his travel cost and the cost of repairing the damage Menard intentionally cause to his hotel room, are sufficient reasons to find council member Menard committed misconduct in office.”

Contact Greg Johnson at greg.johnson@frontiersman.com or 352-2269.