Wasilla mayor easily wins second term

October 7, 2005

MARY AMES/Frontiersman reporter

WASILLA - Wasilla Mayor Dianne M. Keller cruised to victory Tuesday night, outpolling her nearest competitor by about a 2-to-1 margin.

Keller did not return repeated telephone calls to her home or office this week, and on Thursday, the mayor's administrative assistant, Mary Bixby, said Keller was too busy all day to talk to a reporter.

But Keller's three opponents were willing to discuss the outcome of the election, the city's needs and goals and what they see as the future of the city.

&#8221I just dropped a letter off congratulating her,“ said one of those opponents, Steve Stoll, on Wednesday. &#8221Her vision resonated with voters, my issues didn't. She has an opportunity to show me I'm wrong.“

Stoll slept through most of election night, he said, and the results weren't unexpected.

&#8221People vote personalities,“ he said. &#8221Three years from now, we'll see how our city has progressed, or whether we squandered our wealth. Those federal dollars won't last forever.“

Stoll plans to take some time off from city issues.

&#8221I'm too passionate about it,“ he said. &#8221I care too much, and you have to remove yourself from it. My issues are valid. Traffic isn't going to be dealt with in this administration. A $9-million trail to Big Lake makes no sense. That's in the five-year budget, but improvements of Lucille Street aren't. And how are we going to accommodate high-density subdivisions? I campaigned on responsibility and personal attention. It's not ‘they' that should so something, it's ‘we' who should. I guess people can enjoy another three years.“

Cliff Silvers, who campaigned on the issue of returning a sense of responsibility to government, didn't stay up late to watch the polls either. When told there was a 24-percent turnout of registered voters, Silvers said that was pretty pitiful.

&#8221We were set up to be a republic, ruled by many,“ he said. &#8221Now we hear about democracy and are ruled by few. I wanted to start somewhere, to bring it back on track. A citizen can let a government official know he's not doing the job, that's all.“

Silvers said he hadn't called the mayor to congratulate her on Wednesday. &#8221I don't have her number,“ he said.

The turnout of registered voters was disappointing to mayoral hopeful Diana Straub, too.

&#8221It always saddens me,“ Straub said Wednesday. &#8221Especially now, with our troops being deployed so others can vote. Maybe I'm more sensitive to it this year, having just been to a couple of funerals for soldiers.“

Straub considers this past campaign to be her first, as she ran unopposed for her seat on the City Council. And she learned something on the campaign trail.

&#8221A positive campaign is definitely ineffective,“ she said. &#8221When people say, ‘I hate mudslinging.' I don't believe it. But I'm not willing to go there.“

Straub said most of the things she wanted to do as mayor, she can still do as a member of the council.

&#8221Council members can participate and set policy,“ she said. &#8221I still have my ‘yes' and ‘no' voting buttons.“

Straub sees the growing city's needs as improved infrastructure, strengthening the police department and dispatch center and the rewriting of the city's zoning code.

&#8221We need to address that very carefully,“ she said. &#8221There's talk of the city taking over our own platting and we're not capable of that. There would be a much lower cost to fund one position at the borough that just does Wasilla.“

Straub had not congratulated Keller yet on Wednesday and didn't see that coming in the future.

&#8221Because I pressed a charge of felony theft against her on Monday at 2 p.m. For the time being it's better not to have a conversation off the record,“ she said.

Wasilla Police Chief Don Savage, on Thursday, said the department had received a report of theft of campaign signs from Straub, investigated the incident and turned the matter over to the Palmer district attorney's office.

Newly elected council member Marty Metiva said his goal is to give back to the community. Metiva plans to encourage proper economic growth and help the city grow in the right direction.

Steve Menard, the other newly elected council member, put the revitalization of Lake Lucille on his list of things he wants to see happen.

&#8221Wasilla is defined by these two great lakes in the city, and the algae is getting really bad,“ Menard said.

Menard also said he doesn't yet know what's practical and what's not in terms of money for projects, but he sees another area where Wasilla needs to step up to the plate.

&#8221If we're really the home of the Iditarod, we need to put money where our mouth is,“ he said. &#8221Wasilla gets the benefits of all the advertising for these great events, Iron Dog and Junior Iditarod, too, but we've got to pony up.“

Contact Mary Ames at

352-2284 or mary.ames@

frontiersman.com.