Republicans to announce Kohring replacement nominations

July 13, 2007

By Will Elliott / Frontiersman

WASILLA - District 14 Republicans will announce the three recommendations the group will forward to Gov. Sarah Palin as hopefuls to fill the state House seat being vacated by Rep. Vic Kohring.

Seven candidates were considered and will be on hand tonight at a 7 p.m. press conference at the Wasilla Multi-Use Sports Complex for the announcement. They are:

€ Wes Keller, chief of staff for state Sen. Fred Dyson of Eagle River.

€ Darroll Hargraves, retired school superintendent.

€ Pat Marley, Wasilla business owner.

€ Dan Kelly, who serves on the Mat-Su Borough Assembly.

€ Greg Koskela, member of the Wasilla City Council and Wasilla Planning commission. He was a member of the selection committee until he decided to enter his name.

€ Steve Menard, Wasilla City Council member and on Palin's staff.

€ Colleen Sullivan-Leonard, former Wasilla City Council member and on Palin's staff.

Kohring resigned his House seat last month amid charges of bribery and extortion. Kohring maintains his innocence and faces an October trail. Republicans in Kohring's Wasilla district have since been soliciting applications from potential replacements. Today marks the final round of interviews for those candidates, culminating in the annou ncement.

Candidates will each read a statement to the public and take questions from the selection committee. The district hopes to settle on its top three choices by 9 p.m., District 14 Republican chair Steve Colligan said.

Colligan speculates the committee might have to forward as many as four names to the governor because all of the candidates are well-qualified.

&#8220It's pretty tough choice,” he said. &#8220Luckily, we have a fairly rigorous process.”

Private interviews with the candidates began Thursday. Colligan would not confirm what questions were asked, but did say the interviews were intended to gauge support of the Republican Party's platform and assess readiness for public office. Statements to the public tonight are the final part of the scoring process.

Candidates who don't make District 14's cut Friday are free to submit their bids directly to the governor, who is not required to pick from the district's choices. As of Thursday, Gov. Palin's office would not confirm whether any candidates had directly applied to her.

Whether Palin chooses one of the district's names or picks one of her own, that appointee must be confirmed by House Republicans in a majority vote. That could happen during a potential special session on oil taxes this fall, or in January during the next regular session.

If House Republicans reject the governor's appointee, she has another 10 days to repeat the selection process and choose a new one.

Contact Frontiersman reporter Will Elliott at 352-2252 or will.elliott@frontiersman.com.