Wasilla City Council swears in new member

Ahead of the May 12 city council meeting in Wasilla, Mark Schmidt was sworn in as the newest member of the council.

His swearing in comes after he was appointed for the position back in April, when Schmidt was unanimously selected to fill the vacated city council seat after Timothy Johnson resigned in March for family and health reasons. The appointment will be Schmidt’s first time serving on an official government council.

Schmidt was sworn in by city clerk Jamie Newman and after a short break, took his seat on the dais as the council got down to business during the regularly scheduled meeting.

When not working on city issues, Schmidt works as a service manager at Kendall Ford of Wasilla. During his interview, he told the councilmembers that growing up and working on a farm in Idaho taught him to have a good work ethic, which has helped him through his life. He also talked about his volunteer efforts, including at his church and at the Matanuska Sportsman Range in Palmer.

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