School board districts sought

Mayor says change better for voters

July 2, 2006

By DARRELL L. BREESE/Frontiersman

PALMER - The Matanuska-Susitna Borough Mayor Tim Anderson has requested an ordinance for assembly consideration that would ask voters to establish representative districts for the seven-member school board.

Currently, board members are elected in a boroughwide vote. But under the proposal brought forward by Mayor Tim Anderson, they would be elected based on districts similar to the members of the assembly.

One reason for suggesting the change is the fact that the current school board is made up entirely of residents of the borough's core area. The current board is made up of three Palmer residents and four from Wasilla, meaning there is no representation from areas beyond the central Valley.

&#8220The voters deserve an opportunity to make a decision if they want a more equitable method of representation on the school board,” Mayor Tim Anderson said. &#8220The present school board does not have equal representation. Of the current members, three live in (Assembly) District 6, two in District 1 and District 2 and 4 each have one. There is no representation from Districts 3, 5 and 7.”

According to assembly member Betty Vehrs, that lack of representation left residents of Talkeetna and Willow feeling helpless when the problems surrounding the Su Valley Jr./Sr. High School roof came to light.

&#8220The people were screaming at me to find out who their representative on the school board is,” Vehrs said. &#8220When I told them they didn't have one representative but the whole body represented them, their outrage grew. The school board members went up there for a couple of meetings and then went home where their kids have a safe school.”

Vehrs went on to say that living in the northern Valley is different from the core area.

&#8220The current school board members can drive to Fred Meyer in the middle of the night when they run out of milk,” Vehrs explained. &#8220You can't do that in Willow, Trapper Creek or Talkeetna. The people living there can't just run to the store on a whim. Living in the core area, how can you understand that?”

Why is there no representation from beyond the core area? The person best qualified to answer that might be Stephen Fee of Houston. He was the only resident from outside the core area to seek election to the school board in the last six years, (the equivalent of two elections for each seat) when he ran during the 2004 election.

&#8220People just didn't know who I was,” Fee said. &#8220The people from Houston knew who I was, but the average Joe in Wasilla had no idea who I was.”

Fee believes that if the board seats were elected based on districts he would have had a better chance of unseating the incumbent. Yet he does not believe the board should follow the same districts as the assembly.

&#8220I believe fair representation can be accomplished by having four representatives from districts,” Fee said. &#8220The other three board members could be selected at large. That balance would prevent having board members favoring their district and keep the focus on the borough as a whole,” Fee concluded.

Vehrs also emphasized the value of having local representation on the board.

&#8220One of the things I have found representing a district is that I am out there and can hear from the people,” Vehrs said. &#8220A local board member would see things as they are happening and wouldn't have to wait for things to blow up to take action.”

A similar ordinance came before the assembly last July, but it was tabled indefinitely following a lengthy discussion by the assembly members.

&#8220I hope this time the voters will have the opportunity to have their say on this,” Vehrs said.

&#8220Having people who live in the area representing their neighbors will result in a better political process.'

Contact Darrell L. Breese at 352-2267 or at darrell.breese@ frontiersman.com.