Seven file for borough mayor

PALMER — So what if the winning candidate will serve less than five months before his term expires? The race for borough mayor is shaping up to be an interesting one.

The filing deadline for candidates passed on Friday and by that time seven men had thrown their hats in the ring to fill the spot vacated March 3 with the death of Mayor Curt Menard.

David Straub of Willow is a former musher and dog breeder most famous recently for a $1.4 million lien he placed against the borough’s animal shelter over a dispute he had with them regarding 28 dogs seized from his kennel amid charges of animal cruelty. He also ran for borough mayor in 2006.

Bruce Walden of Butte was one of Straub’s competitors in that election, which ended with the election of Menard. He’s a veteran, is active in local Butte-area politics and has taken multiple opportunities to speak publicly about working to uphold the Constitution and undo damage he believes has been done to it.

“I am a combat-proven leader,” Walden told the Frontiersman during his 2006 bid for mayor. “I’m not going to stand by and allow higher government, or what have you, to push this borough around.”

Talis Colberg has the distinction of being the candidate with perhaps the most statewide name recognition. He served as attorney general for Alaska until February when he resigned. His name was prominent during the Troopergate investigation. He’s also a former two-term borough assemblyman and a professor at Mat-Su College. He said he wants to make sure that growth in the Valley “continues in an orderly fashion.”

Frank Shor, of Palmer, is a retired farmer who says he’s lived in communities where growth was an issue and wants to make sure that the borough doesn’t lose it’s individuality or end up paving over all of its farmland. He said he wants to promote job development so long as it doesn’t threaten farmland.

“There are ways to make money here without having to populate all of our good land with businesses,” Shor said.

Steve Menard is Curt Menard’s son. He said he wants to continue the work his father started, mostly with the work going on at Port MacKenzie. He is currently a member of the Alaska Railroad’s board of directors — a seat he took over from his father by appointment from the governor. He said a rail line to the port is essential for the borough and for getting that project moving ahead.

He said he doesn’t plan to run for a second term if he’s elected and simply wants a smooth transition between his father’s administration and whoever comes next.

“Obviously, I’ve got that emotional attachment to how great I thought my dad was,” Menard said.

John Leiner is a Palmer farmer who often attends borough assembly meetings, sometimes signing up for the comment period using a humorous pseudonym, and complains about water flooding his land.

Butch Fondahn lives in Palmer and referred questions about his candidacy to the statement he filed when he declared his candidacy. The statement was not available as of press time.

The election is set for June 9 with the winner holding the office until the borough’s regular election in October.

Contact Andrew Wellner at andrew.wellner@frontiersman.com or 352-2270.