Wasilla council gives voters much to think about

Business as usual has returned to Wasilla City Council chambers. But that business has nothing to do with what's good for city residents.

Two weeks after correcting its improper and illegal secret ballot vote that filled a council vacancy, four council members are stubbornly clinging to the dangerous notion that they did nothing wrong when they voted anonymously July 26 to replace councilor Noel Lowe. Given the opportunity for a permanent fix to the impropriety, the majority four, at Monday's City Council meeting, scuttled a proposal by councilor and mayor-hopeful Diana Straub that would have forced council accountability and public transacting of business when it comes to filling an empty council seat.

Among other things, Straub's ordinance called for voting to take place in accordance with the state's Open Meetings Act, which is not ambiguous in its directive that council votes "be conducted in such a manner that the public may know the vote of each person entitled to vote." Sadly, such no-brainer suggestions appear to be lost on this lot, whose every word and every inaction thumbs its nose at the law and the public it is supposed to be representing.

Steve Stoll, also a candidate for mayor, was disbelieving of the council's rejection of Straub's proposal. Weighing in squarely on the side of reason after Monday's meeting, Stoll said "No secret ballots or keeping the results from the public. … The people have a right to know."

Given that this is hardly revolutionary thinking, it seems most unusual that it should be a source of debate in Wasilla City Hall. Where is the leadership of Mayor Dianne M. Keller? Why will she not defend the people's right to know, even as she courts their votes for a second term?

Only one other councilor, Mark Ewing, saw fit to support Straub. As admirable as it is for the two to continue to fight for what's right while their counterparts dig in their heels, it remains singularly odd that a city ordinance is needed to coax the council into complying with already-established state law. That there remains council opposition to doing so shines an embarrassing light on the city and the shameful intransigence of councilors Howard O'Neil, Ron Cox, Robert Sande and Verdie Bowen.

To date, there has not been a single meaningful attempt to defend the present course of council action. This page remains open to anyone in city administration who would submit a factual analysis of why that status quo is OK. Yet no one has stepped forward to do so.

The silence speaks volumes. While the Mat-Su Borough Assembly and Palmer and Houston city councils rightly prioritize the public's right to know, Wasilla's "leaders" are letting petty egos and politics of self-interest trump the public interest.

Alas, a bright spot remains. An election is less than six weeks away.

The makeup of the council will certainly change, and Keller is being challenged by three others for the mayor's office. In the absence of reason and responsibility, voters will have the final say about what form "business as usual" in City Hall should take.