Wasilla City Council welcomes newcomers

October 4, 2006

Wasilla City Council candidates ran unopposed in Tuesday's municipal election. Both candidates were asked to respond to questions about their goals for office. Below, the Wasilla City Council newcomers, who will replace Diana Straub and Howard O'Neil, answer a few questions about their upcoming three years on the council.

What improvements would you like to see in the city of Wasilla?

Doug Holler: I would like to see a core area developed into a city center, so Wasilla is not known as a strip mall along the Parks Highway.

Greg Koskela: The improvements I would like to see the city make would be to concentrate on our transportation grid and plan wisely for our growing congestion problems in and around the city. That task cannot be done alone. We need to work closely with the citizens of our community, the Mat-Su Borough, state Department of Transportation, and the Alaska Railroad. Sewer and water services can be expanded to service those who need it, and problem areas that may come up in the future. The biggest improvements that can be accomplished in our city will come from the continued economic planning at the city. By encouraging sound and diverse business development, we will attain more and more improvements that will not only benefit the residents of Wasilla, but all those who live around us and utilize the services Wasilla has to offer.

What attributes and skills will you bring to the council that would help bring about those improvements?

Holler: I don't know as I have any special skills except that I've lived in this community 30 years and plan to raise my family here. Thus, I have a keen interest in how it develops.

Koskela: I have nearly five years on the planning commission, and we have had a lot of the issues we face come before us. I have the forward-looking vision we need to accomplish these goals. My leadership skills allow me to reach out to all people no matter what side of the issue they are on. This is what needs to be done to make our improvements so that they benefit all people and not just a certain group. I have lived in Wasilla over 10 years now, and my wife and I have our business here. I have observed the changes in our city, and am looking forward to working with the people of our city to see that our future changes are done adequately and responsibly.

Since the raise in pay for council members did not attract many candidates for the positions, would you favor raising pay rates further?

Holler: No. Service on the council to me is part of a citizen's responsibility toward public service. If everyone gives some service, we would always have a functioning citizen's council.

Koskela: No, I would not be in favor of raising council pay any further. I was not in favor of that much of a raise to begin with. I would be in favor of going back to the per-meeting pay. The public testimony on the council pay raise was all opposed to that much of a pay raise. They all said $100 per meeting would be a good start, but not a doubling in pay all at once. It was almost a 90 percent increase from the previous year. I do not believe that more pay will attract any more candidates than we get now. I do have some ideas I will be sharing in the future about how we may attract more applicants to serve our city.

Annexation will be an issue soon. What areas do you think the city should seek to annex, and in what order?

Holler: At this point, I would support the current city's volunteer annexation program.

Koskela: There are many possibilities, and it won't be up to just one person. It will take a collective effort from all parties involved to achieve a workable annexation plan. Ultimately, the city will conduct studies, and work with the people in the potential areas of annexation, along with the Mat-Su Borough. We will look at the pros and cons of annexation, costs to the city and benefits to future citizens of Wasilla. … The first area I could see being annexed is the area of Bogard Road to Seward-Meridian Parkway and south to meet up with current city boundaries. Second would be to the west, toward the airport, but not to annex any of the Meadow Lakes area.

Third would be south on Knik-Goose Bay Road area. There are others areas around the city that may benefit as well by utilizing our sewer and water, not to mention the lower property taxes we enjoy in Wasilla.

How much time do you expect to devote to the duties of city council?

Holler: I'll have to manage my time between my family, my job and the council.

Koskela: First, I would start by saying that I will devote whatever time is needed to carry out my duties as I serve the citizens of Wasilla. As for the number of hours, I could probably answer that question better in six months. I have devoted a lot of my time to the planning commission, and intend to do the same as a member of the city council.