MTA welcomes new board member from Eagle River

PALMER — Eagle River resident Larry Wiget was so impressed with the service he received from Matanuska Telephone Association staff when he moved from Anchorage to his new home, he decided to run for the vacant seat on MTA’s Board of Directors.

He is now the newest member of the board, beating out five other candidates to fill the seat vacated by outspoken former board director Chuck Foster.

“The MTA technicians and customer service people displayed so much professionalism, I just wanted to be a part of such a neat organization,” the former Anchorage School District public affairs director said. “I know I need to get a better understanding of all the issues, but I’m very appreciative for this opportunity.”

Wiget, an Alaska resident for 27 years, admitted he had not been aware of recent controversies stirred up by Foster — such as making the CEO’s salary public and possible violations of the company’s bylaws by a former board director.

“I knew someone had resigned from the board, but I’m not even sure if ‘Foster’ is his first name or his last,” Wiget said.

Since abruptly resigning from the board Jan. 12, Foster has been gathering signatures on a petition to give co-op members a chance to vote on whether they think the CEO’s annual total cost to the organization should be publicly reported.

It has been his contention that too much vital financial information is kept from MTA members and that the Carver Model of governance prevents even the board from having sufficient control over the company’s administration.

Wiget, whose term on the board will expire in June 2012, said that while he has no objection to making the CEO’s salary public, that’s something that should be addressed by the entire board. As for the Carver Model, he seems to have a solid grasp of the basics.

“From my cursory examination of it, it seems to put a strong emphasis on policy versus what can tend to be a problem with boards when individual members decide to get involved in the day-to-day operation of an organization,” he said. “The model puts emphasis on the policy and the end result rather than all the little details leading to that result.”

MTA Chief Governance Officer Earl Lackey said the board picked Wiget over two other Eagle River candidates, one from the Sheep Mountain Lodge area, one from Palmer and one from Wasilla because he had strong references, good management experience and was involved in his community.

Most of all Wiget stood out because of his enthusiasm for the post.

“He was really excited about coming on board,” Lackey said, adding the board was leaning toward choosing someone from Eagle River because that was one service area needing representation. “But it wasn’t an easy decision. All six applicants had good qualifications.”

Originally from Ohio and having spent some time in Colorado, Wiget said he’s still in awe of the beauty and majesty of Alaska and especially appreciates the character of those in his area and in the Valley.

“It’s like a small town out here, but without the small-town mentality,” he said. “The level of sophistication of the people is just amazing.”

Lackey said he’s happy that with new blood on the board and it can start to move on from recent controversy and continue to focus on making MTA an even stronger organization for members and the community as a whole.

He said he wasn’t aware of Foster’s petition, but cautioned against opening up confidential financial information in such a competitive environment.

“The problem I’ve got with us putting the CEO’s salary out in the public is that if it gets published, I would like to see it compared to that of the CEOs of GCI and ASC to show exactly what we’re competing against,” Lackey said. “We’re not the same local cooperative we were 20 years ago. We need to be able to attract and keep strong leaders and pay them fairly.”

Contact K.T. McKee at kate.mckee@frontiersman.com or 352-2252.