Wasilla City Council member heading to Juneau

EOWYN LeMAY IVEY-Frontiersman reporter

WASILLA -- Wasilla will most likely be losing a city council member to Juneau later this year.

Councilwoman Colleen Sullivan-Leonard recently accepted a position as a legislative aide for Rep. Carl Gatto, R-Mat-Su. For now, she said, she will continue to sit on the city council. Sullivan-Leonard said she discussed the matter with the city clerk before taking the job and was assured there wasn't a concern about conflict of interest.

"Truly I represent the city of Wasilla," she said. "That's where I am an elected official."

The miles between Juneau and Wasilla could soon bring an end to that, however. Once the legislative session begins in January, Sullivan-Leonard anticipates having to vacate her seat on the city council. This isn't as much a matter of conflict of interest, but purely a logistics problem of trying to be in two places at one time, she said.

"I haven't quite made up my mind yet … I'm not gong to give you a date yet," she said. However, she did say that when she feels she no longer is able to fulfill her duties as a city councilwoman she would step down.

"But I will stay as long as I can," she said, adding that she will also give ample notice to the council, city clerk, mayor and her constituents.

In the meantime, she said she does not foresee any conflicts as she continues to serve both city residents and her new employer. She pointed out that Gatto's District 13 does not encompass the city of Wasilla. As for the general interests of the Mat-Su Valley, she said she will be assisting Gatto in his work on the education and health and social services committees in the Legislature.

Sullivan-Leonard said while this her first job as a legislative aide, she has background in both education and health care.

"I think it's just a really good fit for both he and I," she said of working for Gatto.

This is not the first time Sullivan-Leonard has had to juggle more than one title. In addition to being a city council member, she is also the wife of Wasilla Finance Director Ted Leonard. Sullivan-Leonard said her opponent during her election made this an issue and questioned whether it would constitute a conflict of interest.

"I spoke with the mayor, my husband and other people before I even chose to run for city council," she said. She said the verdict among those she talked with was that there wouldn't be a conflict of interest, so she decided to run.

As a council member, Sullivan-Leonard regularly votes up or down recommendations coming from her husband as finance director, but she said this has not caused any concerns.

"Truly in the last two-and-a-half years there have been no conflicts whatsoever," she said. "My husband is very much a professional and I appreciate the hard work he does for the city."

Such relationships and associations are somewhat inevitable in a small community like the Mat-Su Valley where people are often related to or close friends with the same people they conduct business and politics with. However, Sullivan-Leonard said it is also what she likes about the community.

"As large as the Mat-Su Valley is, I think that small-town feeling and that interaction with people is very true. And it's nice," she said. "It gives you a sense of familiarity and a lot of strength and support in the community."