Wasilla selects new council member

WASILLA — The Wasilla City Council met on Monday to select a new council member to serve out the rest of the late Mike Dryden’s term on Council Seat A. Dryden died in late August.

Before Council members interviewed candidates Jordan Rausa and Jo Lynn Bozer for the vacant council seat, Mayor Glenda Ledford provided an update on Wasilla’s COVID-19 response. Ledford issued a closure of city facilities on Nov. 12 including the Menard Sports Center as well as the Wasilla Public Library, museum and city offices to appointments only. The library also offers cubicle and virtual services.

“My staff will continually evaluate the need for restrictions or an extension of closures as needed to keep everyone safe during these uncertain times,” said Ledford.

Ledford noted Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s new disaster declaration and call on all Alaskans to be safe.

“I have actually come down with COVID-19,” said Councilman Tim Burney. “I would caution on multiple restrictions in our community, but I would also encourage education and making sure everybody’s looking out for one another, but I would caution the same restrictions as say Anchorage has. I don’t think that our community has the appetite for it. I don’t think our community wants it. I think our citizens have enough smarts about them to know how to be responsible and how to be proactive so I read a couple emails that came through that stated similar worries and concerns so I think the city has done a very good job of mitigating and also making sure that word is getting out there but understanding the citizens can be responsible for themselves.”

Rausa and Jo Lynn Bozer, who lost in the October election to Simon Brown, were both asked five questions by members of the council. Burney recused himself from the discussion and vote as a personal contact of one of the candidates.

“My main purpose for serving is, this is my home, so I picture that in 40 years I’ll be here,” said Rausa. “I’m not going anywhere. I’m here. The city is changing very rapidly and I think it’s just my sense of duty that compels me to want to serve to be involved so that when decisions are made I can be more than just satisfied or disappointed, I can say that I took part in it.”

After several motions failed to receive a second or failed to pass the threshold required to pass the action memorandum, the four voting council members unanimously selected Rausa to serve on the council in Seat A. Rausa said that the most important issue facing the city was planning and that he has developed leadership skills coaching soccer, particularly in a pandemic.

“I’m not ashamed to get my hands dirty and get things done and I’m not going anywhere,” said Rausa. “I’ll be here. I think that that’s my most important qualifying factor is I have to live with the decisions that I make.”