Wall resigns from Wasilla City Council

WASILLA — City officials will spend part of July looking for a replacement city council member following the resignation of Brandon Wall Monday evening.

Wall said he is relocating to the Lower 48 with his family in order to take another position in the building automation industry. The same relocation prevented him from seeking state office with the departure of Alaska Sen. Charlie Huggins (R-Wasilla) and Rep. Lynn Gattis’ (R-Wasilla) decision to seek Huggins’ seat.

Wall said his proudest accomplishment on the council was about tone, more than any one particular vote.

“The people I talk to in the community appreciate that I try to ask good questions and try to bring common-sense solutions to the table,” he said.

Wall joined the council in 2012 after the recall of councilman Steve Menard. Appointed by the council to fill the remainder of Menard’s term, Wall won re-election in October 2012, then beat Vic Kohring the following fall to secure a three-year term. Wall said he first decided to seek office after reading of the council’s struggles to appoint Menard’s successor, and a Frontiersman opinion column decrying the lack of interest in public service.

Wall said he was intimidated at first by the demands of the job.

“I’m not exactly a calm and collected public speaker,” he said.

Wall’s successor won’t be known until the end of July, likely following a July 25 meeting of the city council, according to city clerk Jamie Newman. Wall’s seat was due up during the Oct. 4 local elections, meaning among the decisions his successor will make will be whether or not to seek a full term in office.

Wall had some advice for his successor.

“Question everything,” he said. “You’re being appointed to represent the city residents. You’re not being appointed to support the mayor. You’re supposed to be there to offer your own unique perspective and make the best decisions you can possibly make.”

Wall named the loss of revenue sharing from the state and marijuana use as ongoing issues the council will likely face.

“I’d really like to see either the legislature create a way or the city, under existing laws, for medical dispensaries to operate,” he said. “That’s the thing I felt worst about, was the medical marijuana users.”

Applications for Wall’s seat will be available starting 8 a.m. July 1, and are due back to the Wasilla clerk by July 15 at noon, Newman said. Each application includes an affidavit stating the date of residency, a form requiring the candidate’s full legal name and a phone number and date of birth, Newman said.

City offices will be closed for the July 4 holiday, Newman added.

Contact reporter Brian O’Connor at 352-2270, brian.oconnor@frontiersman.com, or on Twitter @reporterbriano.