Wasilla is lucky indeed

To the editor:

The city of Wasilla is very fortunate to have Verne Rupright as its mayor.

While his opponents tout their “visions,” Mayor Rupright has demonstrated solid plans that have benefitted Wasilla these past three years, and will continue to do so in the future. Those plans include joining with the mayors of the Mat-Su Borough, Palmer and Houston to defeat an assembly proposed 3 percent borough-wide sales tax (which would have more than doubled your sales tax and chased shoppers off to Anchorage), working with the city of Palmer and the borough to create an area-wide wastewater treatment plant, and reducing the city’s operating expenditures by 16 percent during his first three years in office.

Additionally, Mayor Rupright retired the .5 percent sales tax for the Menard sports complex one year early, keeping your hard-earned money in your own pockets. The Lake Lucille dam issue is typical of the hands-on actions by the mayor. During my last two years as mayor for the city of Palmer, Verne and I joined together to impress upon the Alaska Department of Transportation and the Legislature the vital need for improved and additional roadways in the core area. Both cities saw a huge increase in paved roads — 17 in Wasilla either completed or in the process of being completed this season. These are but a few of the actual plans initiated and completed by your mayor.

Perhaps one of Mayor Rupright’s finest plans is an ongoing effort to create a defined community center in Wasilla. Palmer has enjoyed this enhancement for many years. This is a much-needed improvement for the residents of Wasilla, advancing a sense of community for all. It will go a long way in shedding the city’s “big box” image. I attended Wasilla schools through fifth grade and have many friends in your fine city. I know that the people of Wasilla do not see themselves as merely a strip-mall community.

Your mayor is highly regarded in so many areas that there are too many to mention here. Yes, Wasilla is lucky indeed to have such a quality person to lead the city for the next three years.

John Combs

Former Palmer mayor