REDDI to be mayor?

WASILLA — Controversial actions by Wasilla Mayor Verne Rupright have inspired Wasilla City Councilwoman Taffina Katkus to run for his seat this fall, joining former Bristol Palin fiancée Levi Johnston and possibly Councilwoman Dianne Woodruff.

Katkus, who is serving her first term on the council, said Monday she decided to run for mayor a couple of weeks ago after discovering Rupright had instituted a new policy requiring the Wasilla Police Department to respond to all 911 calls relating to dangerous drivers who are employed by the city.

Wasilla City Council members are on the list of about 160 city employees emergency dispatchers are charged with checking when a Report Every Dangerous Driver Immediately (REDDI) call comes into MATCOM.

Rupright’s administrative order on the REDDI response policy mandates dispatchers send Wasilla police officers to follow up on calls involving city employees — no matter where the erratic vehicle is spotted in the Valley.

In the past, WPD only responded to REDDI calls if they concerned vehicles within Wasilla city limits or the driver lived in Wasilla, and it’s still that way for the general population. Not so for city employees.

The new policy singles out city employees from the rest of the population. If a REDDI report comes in from Mile 49 of the Parks Highway, for instance, and dispatchers determine the vehicle is owned by a Wasilla city employee, Alaska State Troopers wouldn’t be the only ones responding to the call. WPD would be there, too.

“I think it raises a lot of questions and, to put it bluntly, I think it’s ridiculous,” Katkus said. “That’s just one of the reasons among many that I want to run for mayor. We need to be more open and transparent. Having this REDDI policy is another sign of questionable leadership.”

Rupright, a local attorney and Vietnam veteran, recently fired police chief Mike Hughes and replaced him with former Alaska State Trooper Gene Belden. Belden is the fourth police chief to serve the city in the last few years.

Woodruff said there have been other personnel changes since Rupright took office that could signify a lack of stability for the city.

Katkus, owner of a local sign making business for the past 30 years and a mother of seven, also has taken issue with Rupright’s push to build an outdoor firing range near her home off South Mack Drive. Katkus and others who live within 600 feet of the proposed site next to the Curtis D. Menard Memorial Sports Center have filed legal appeals against the Wasilla Planning Commission’s granting of a conditional use permit for the gun range.

That case is still unresolved.

Rupright explained in one of his “Mayor’s Minutes” broadcast on 100.9 FM radio that he began looking at the REDDI issue last year when an incident occurred in 2010 “when a member of the Wasilla personnel group — not yours truly — while in the city was contacted by the police and it became clear that the investigation and follow-up was not well handled. I was clear with Wasilla police officials that they were setting a bad precedent and that it should not happen again.”

Rupright went on to say that a call was placed on him in January, yet again Wasilla police did not follow up. So he consulted with city directors and put the policy in place.

Wasilla City Council was never consulted on the policy before it was instituted. It came about a month after Rupright had been the subject of a REDDI call Jan. 8.

“Nothing in the policy states that the Wasilla police will be going all over here, there and half of Georgia hunting for people, but they will check REDDI calls,” Rupright said. “In my case I did have independent verification I was not impaired. The DUI laws were passed by the Legislature based on sound public policy and will be followed by this city’s police department.”

Woodruff called the policy “asinine” and is considering introducing an action memorandum addressing the issue at a future council meeting.

“We shouldn’t have a different policy for city employees,” Woodruff said. “We need to treat everyone the same.”

Woodruff said Monday that although she filed her intent to run for mayor with the Alaska Public Offices Commission, she hasn’t decided yet if she actually will run.

“I just don’t want Verne to run unopposed,” she said.

Efforts by the Frontiersman to obtain from the city of Wasilla a copy of the REDDI report involving Rupright resulted in a letter from the city’s new police chief, Gene Belden, stating that the report would have to be obtained from AST since it was in that agency’s jurisdiction.

The Frontiersman requested a copy of the report from AST through its public records procedure, but has not yet received the report.

As for getting a copy of the written report completed by WPD on Rupright’s incident, Belden said he could not release it because it was an internal report and part of a personnel file.

Woodruff was perplexed about why it would be considered a city personnel matter to begin with.

Johnston announced last August he was running for Wasilla mayor and his manager, Tate Jones, confirmed Monday he still plans to run for that office.

Jones said Johnston is living with someone in Wasilla in order to meet residency requirements.

As for whether Johnston’s mayoral campaign would be part of a reality television show, Jones said that’s still up in the air.

Rupright has stated in the past he’s not intimidated by Johnston’s challenge.

“Bring it on,” he said, adding a remark about Johnston’s appearance in Playgirl Magazine and his lack of education. “I think it would be wise for him to get a high school diploma and keep his clothes on.”

Johnston, who fathered a child with Bristol Palin, became an instant celebrity when Sarah Palin was chosen as John McCain’s running mate in the 2008 Presidential Election. When word got out that Bristol was pregnant with Johnston’s baby, Palin announced he and Bristol would be getting married.

Shortly after McCain lost his bid for president, Bristol and Levi broke up.

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