Wasilla council seat still open

WASILLA — Residents will have to wait at least another two weeks to learn who will be their next city councilperson.

After hearing from a trio of applicants seeking to fill the seat vacated following a Feb. 7 recall election of former two-time councilman Steve Menard, the five remaining members could not come to a consensus Monday evening.

“We’re at an impasse,” deputy mayor Doug Holler said after the council emerged from an executive session to discuss the applicants. The council has until March 29 to appoint someone to represent Seat F on the council until the next municipal election, which is Oct. 2.

The three hopefuls include some familiar to local politics.

• John Luberger is a retired business owner who previously filled a vacant council seat for five months after former councilwoman Nancy Hall moved out of the country.

• Glenda Ledford is a longtime business owner and 25-year resident of Wasilla who ran for the council in 2010 but was not elected.

• Patrick Johnson ran in the first Wasilla City Council election in 1973 and has served on various boards and appointments throughout the Mat-Su Borough.

All three were given five minutes to make their appeal to the council Monday, followed by a brief question-and-answer session.

Asked what is the most important challenge the city is facing today, Johnson’s answer was to the point.

“Right now, keeping up with public safety is right there at the top,” he said. “The other thing is to keep good jobs here and work creating new ones.”

Luberger appealed for more teamwork on the council and in the city.

“I think we’ve got to start working together, or at least trying to work together,” he said, adding he thinks Wasilla is missing out on a lot of tourism dollars. “The tourism is the thing that’s going to bring in a lot of money, free money.”

Questioned about how she’d handle the city budget, Ledford said she prefers the conservative approach.

“I think we should hold the line on the spending, because right now in this economic downturn … (but) if we continue on a level playing field, there shouldn’t be any reason to raise the taxes.”

Monday’s action re-opens the application process, Holler said in his motion, while also inviting Johnson, Luberger and Ledford to re-apply if they are inclined.

Contact reporter Greg Johnson at greg.johnson@frontiersman.com or 352-2269.