Vetoes raise questions

Mat-Su Borough Mayor Larry DeVilbiss has lived here longer than most. As such, we’re not going to lecture him about the history of the ordinances he chose to veto this week.

We will, however, express our bafflement.

First of all, why would the mayor — or anyone for that matter — knowingly step right into the stinking pile of controversy that is the idea of building homes in Hatcher Pass?

In the memo he attached to his veto of a change to the borough budget and scope of work for phase II of a road to the borough’s planned Nordic ski area there, DeVilbiss said that first he wants to see development.

“I want to see a designated area for resort/residential development in the future,” he said, going on to explain that he doesn’t see the Nordic trails bringing in any revenue, but residential development could “turn this property into an economic engine.”

He points out that the current conceptual plan doesn’t rule out resort/residential development.

We were there when the plan dubbed “New Beginning” was presented to the assembly. Our recollection is that while the plan did leave the door open for that kind of development, the assembly agreed to that very reluctantly and with not a small amount of cajoling from the consultant who came up with the plan.

At the time, assembly members were just getting over the lumps they received the last time someone decided houses in the pass were a good idea.

Maybe DeVilbiss doesn’t believe that a majority of borough residents don’t want houses there. Maybe he’s right.

But the folks who oppose it are not going to be quiet about it. There will be another fight.

Equally as baffling, if not more so, was the mayor’s decision to veto an ordinance beginning the eminent domain process of seizing homes in the way of the planned Bogard Road extension.

The mayor said he’s driven alternate routes to an extended Bogard and found them sufficient.

We wonder if he also visited the right of way. Our photographer did and found that one home that had already been bought and boarded up is gone now. All that’s left is a driveway. It would be an understatement to say it’s too late for the borough to change directions now.

Maybe the mayor doesn’t like the decision to extend the road. Maybe a lot of people don’t. But families have already been displaced. To put them through that heartache and the tell them it was all for nothing would be an insult.

The fact is the Palmer-Wasilla Highway is a dangerous road with too few lanes. There has to be another viable east-west corridor. The borough settled on Bogard. To go back now would be foolish.