Wasilla City Council appoints new council member

During the regularly scheduled meeting of the Wasilla City Council on April 28, Mark Schmidt was unanimously selected to fill the vacated city council seat after Timothy Johnson resigned in March for family and health reasons.

Three individuals had applied for the seat, however, Arline Winn-Hill withdrew her application before the meeting, and Rory Grant was not present for the council interview at the meeting, and therefore could not be considered, leaving Schmidt was the sole candidate interviewed for the role.

Schmidt, who works as a service manager at Kendall Ford of Wasilla, told the councilmembers that growing up and working on a farm in Idaho taught him to have a good work ethic that has taken him a long way. He spoke of his time serving as class president in high school and his volunteer efforts, including working with blind kids teaching them whitewater rafting and water skiing.

“Volunteering has always been a part of my life that I’ve very much enjoyed,” Schmidt said, adding that his desire to help people would be valuable to serving on the council. He told the council that he volunteers at his church and at the Matanuska Sportsman Range in Palmer.

He also said that working as a service manager also entails overseeing a huge budget and has fostered a love for crunching numbers.

“I literally love diving into these numbers and making sure my budgets line up with all the stores and making sure my store is thriving.”

When asked about the uncertain economic climate facing many and what he thought was the number one priority for the city of Wasilla, Schmidt said it is keeping the taxes low so the city could continue to grow, while continuing to develop the infrastructure. “I think that’s what attracts a lot of people to our city.”

Schmidt was also asked what experience and values he would tap into to make Wasilla a better place for the citizens, to which he said he likes thinking outside of the box to find solutions.

Schmidt said he is a strong conservative Christian and that he would thrive serving on the city council. “I believe with my skills and abilities of looking over budgets and my ability to correct conditions and problems, and come up with solutions…I think that would give me the benefit.”

Schmidt was unanimously selected by a vote of the council and will be sworn in on May 12 at the Wasilla Chambers. His term expires in October.