WASILLA -- The race for the next Mat-Su Borough mayor has begun, with the candidate filing period open through Nov. 19.
So far one candidate has entered the race: former Borough School Board member and Washington state legislator Brian Sullivan.
The mayor's seat became open Oct. 20 when former Mayor Talis Colberg accepted a position as the director of Mat-Su College in August. The borough is holding a special election Jan. 11 to fill the seat until the term ends in October 2012.
Sullivan, 43, lives in the Valley with his wife, Julie, an Iditarod Elementary teacher, and their three daughters.
An Iraq combat veteran, he is an Army major and MP at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson.
He is due to get an honorable discharge in December because of back injuries sustained as a paratrooper.
"I don't see anybody like Linda Menard (a state senator) or any other leading citizens stepping forward, so I thought I would," Sullivan said Monday. "The Valley is in need of a little vision and direction, and I'm hoping to provide that leadership."
Sullivan served on the local School Board briefly in 2007 until he was informed by a Fort Richardson ethics adviser that doing so was considered a conflict of interest, he said.
He served in the Washington state House of Representatives from 1996 until 2001 when his family lived in the Tacoma area. He also lived in Fairbanks for three years, he said.
He described himself as a fiscal and social conservative, and said he would like to see enhanced access to the Valley's natural resources, more high-wage jobs for working families and the creation of additional recreational opportunities for Valley families.
The Mat-Su mayor job is not a full-time position as is true in Anchorage.
A borough manager appointed by the Assembly runs the day-to-day business of government, while the mayor runs the Assembly meetings and serves as the face of Mat-Su at some events.
"I just talked to the Palmer mayor today," he said when asked about the possibility of having coal mines in the Valley again. "DeLena (Johnson) and I are friends, and we agree that the Usibelli Coal Mine company is going to be an important borough topic for quite some time."
To become a candidate, submit a Declaration of Candidacy form, an Alaska Public Offices Commission Public Official Financial Disclosure Statement and a $25 cash filing fee to the borough clerk's office by 5 p.m. Nov. 19.
For more information, call the clerk's office at 745-9683 or see the candidate list on the borough's website at www.matsugov.us/Clerk/index and click on the "Election Information" link, then the "Information" tab.
Contact K.T. McKee at 352-6711.
By K.T. McKEE
kmckee@adn.com