Voting in Menard recall begins Monday

On Dec. 12, 2011, the Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman published an article that suggested the wording in the recall petition submitted by Conservative Patriots Group (CPG) Wasilla members was inaccurate and lacking in truthfulness. CPG considers this article an unfounded attack on the integrity of the organization. The application for recall and the petition circulated for signatures was factually accurate and, with the required particularity, stated the grounds for a recall based on misconduct in office. Both the application and petition contained the following statements:

City council member Steve Menard traveled to Sitka in his official capacity as council member, for the purpose of attending a meeting with the Alaska Municipal League. Menard, without good cause, failed to carry out his official duties. Menard remained overnight at the Westmark Hotel and while intoxicated he inflicted substantial damage to his hotel room and directed the hotel to bill the city of Wasilla for the damage. The damage included urinating on two beds and a chair, vomiting on the carpet and setting fire to a mattress.

The Wasilla City Council convened on Aug. 22, 2011, and debated what action it should take regarding Menard. The council voted to: 1. sanction Menard by prohibiting him from traveling on city business for the remainder of his term, which expires in 2013; and 2. required him to make full restitution to the city for the $1,404 cost of his travel/expenses and the $350 the city paid for damage to the hotel room.

The council's action of sanctioning Menard and requiring him to make full restitution for all costs are sufficient reasons to find Menard committed misconduct in office.

Independent counsel reviewed the recall application at the request of the city and reached the following conclusions based on the above statements:

• The council's decision to require Menard to reimburse the cost of his travel and expenses indicated that Menard failed to perform prescribed duties on the trip.

• By causing damage to the hotel room, Menard could, at a minimum, have committed a class B misdemeanor.

• By directing the hotel to bill the city for the damages, Menard was seeking to use city funds to pay expenses of a personal nature that were significantly outside the scope of reasonable travel expense.

Misconduct in office may be defined as failure to perform your official duties as a public official or performing an illegal act while serving in your official capacity. In this instance, independent counsel concluded Menard did both.

I hope that the above-recited information will put to rest any uncertainty regarding the truthfulness of the facts alleged in the petition and application.

I know some of you will say, "He has apologized and said he is sorry, so let's give him another chance," but how many chances do you give a 40-plus-year-old man who has been convicted of at least one DUI to clean up his act? And, of course, we are all sorry if we get caught. Perhaps one of the petition signers said it best when he stated (paraphrased): "I gave Steve a second chance when I voted him in as a city council member. He has betrayed my trust and it's time for him to go."

This vote is not just about recalling a Wasilla City Council member for unacceptable and unprofessional conduct, it is a referendum on what "we the voters" expect from our public officials. Politicians across Alaska will be watching. It is time Menard and other politicians understand that voters will no longer tolerate this kind of behavior. We don't care what your last name is or who you know. We don't expect our politicians to be perfect, but we do expect they exhibit commonly accepted standards of integrity and decency. Character does matter.

The Special Election ballot reads: "Shall Steve Menard be recalled from the office of Council Member?" So color in the "yes" box if you want to recall Menard.

Voting locations for the Feb. 7 recall election are:

• Precinct: 14-075, Wasilla I - Wasilla City Hall, 290 E. Herning Ave.

• Precinct: 14-080, Wasilla II - Floyd D. Smith Senior Center, 1301 S. Century Circle.

Early Voting: Jan. 23 to Feb. 6 - Wasilla City Hall, 290 E. Herning Ave.

Frank Bettine is the public relations officer for Conservative Patriots Group.