Wasilla swears in new city council member

WASILLA — A husband and father of four who admits to spending a lot of evenings “washing, drying and folding diapers” will have to take a break from the laundry every second and fourth Monday.

Following a lengthy interview process, Brandon Wall was approved by a unanimous vote of the Wasilla City Council at its regular meeting Monday to fill Seat F, which has been vacant since Feb. 13 following the recall of former councilman Steve Menard.

With children ranging in age from high school to 13 months, Wall said he and his wife of 16 years are busy, but not too busy to give back to his community.

“Our evenings basically consist of wrestling meets, cross-country, cheerleading, track, sporting clay practice,” he said. “And, as my wife is a big cloth diaper advocate, (also) washing, drying and folding diapers.”

A former appointee to the city’s Parks and Recreation Commission, Wall is also on the Wasilla Planning Commission and said he feels infrastructure is one of the largest concerns for the fast-growing community.

“I think roads are really important to a city with as much commercial business as we have here in Wasilla,” he said. “I’m not sure how much impact I’ll have on that in the next six months, but it’s a concern.”

Because Wall has been appointed to fill a vacancy on the council, he will serve only until the next regular election, which is Oct. 2. At that time, Wall said he would consider running for election to serve out the remainder of the Seat F term through 2013.

Along with roads, Wall also is concerned about the condition of some city parks.

“I’ve got kids who like to play — preferably outside — and we have some fields that are real ankle-busters and could use some work,” he said.

Professionally, Wall is a group operations manager for a facilities systems contractor in Anchorage, where he said he oversees a team of engineers and project managers responsible for “a wide array of projects around Alaska.” He also said he represents a significant section of the work force that commutes to Anchorage.

Wall was the last of seven residents who applied for the council seat to interview. The other candidates include:

• Patrick Brown: A local volunteer and advocate, Brown is a former two-time city council candidate.

• Jessica Dean: A small business owner and mother of two.

• Steven DeHart: Retired Alaska State Trooper and a former member of the city’s Parks and Recreation Commission. DeHart is also a sitting member of the Wasilla Planning Commission.

• Patrick Johnson: A former Mat-Su Borough Assembly candidate, Johnson has served various appointments under four borough administrations. He’s been a Wasilla resident since 1967 and ran in the city’s first council race in 1973.

• Glenda Ledford: A former council candidate and planning commission member, Ledford has been a small business owner in the city for more than 15 years.

• John Luberger: A retired business owner who filled a vacancy on the city council in 2010.

Wall’s appointment also averts a potential conflict with a looming deadline to fill Menard’s seat. An original call for applications drew three — Johnson, Ledford and Luberger — who interviewed Feb. 27. The council was unable to reach a decision and put the call out for applications again. City code requires a vacancy be filled within 45 days, which in this case would have been March 29.

Wall also said he understands he’ll have to get up to speed quickly.

“I do know we have some budget discussion (coming up) in April, and that’s something I’m going to have to study up for,” he said.

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