MAYOR OF WASILLA
From 1996–2002 Palin served as the mayor of Wasilla. At the end of Palin's tenure as mayor in 2002, the city had around 6,300 residents. Palin defeated three-term incumbent mayor John Stein In 1996, in the name of wasteful spending & high taxes.She ntroduced abortion,gun rights,and term limits as campaign issues.Although the election was a nonpartisan blanket primary, the state Republican Party ran advertisements onbehalf of her.
FIRST TERM : In October 1996 she joined her office , Palin took the position of museum director and leaded wisefully she asked for updated resumes and resignation letters rom some top officials,including the police chief,public works director,finance director,librarian.It was Palins request to find out their intentions and whether they supported her or not.She required concerned department heads temporarly to get her approval before talking to reporters, because she want all officials that they first needed to become acquainted with her administration's policies. After creating the position of city administrator shed reduced her own $68,000 salary by 10%
According to Wasilla librarian Mary Ellen Emmons, Palin inquired two or three times in October 1996 as to how Emmons would handle any request to remove books from the library. John Stein, the former mayor of Wasilla and Palin's 1996 political opponent, said in September 2008 that Palin's "religious beliefs," and the concerns of some voters about language in the books, motivated her inquiries. In December 1996, Palin said she had no books or other material in mind for removal.No books were removed from the library, and Palin stated in 2006 that she would not allow her personal religious beliefs to dictate her political positions.
It was in January 1997, Palin fired Emmons and Police Chief Irl Stambaugh stating that she did not feel they fully supported her efforts to govern the city. The public support for Emmons and a personal meeting, Palin rescinded the firing of Emmons, stating that her concerns had been alleviated, and adding that Emmons agreed to support Palin's plan to merge the town's library and museum operations.Stambaugh, who had supported Palin's opponent Emmons in the election, filed. A wrongful termination lawsuit alleging that his termination violated his contract, reflected gender discrimination, and was for political reasons.He said, that he had opposed a bill in the state legislature, supported by Palin, that would "permit concealed weapons in schools and bars the bill stated that "a permitee may not carry a concealed handgun within or on school grounds."The federal judge who heard the case dismissed Stambaugh's lawsuit, ordering Stambaugh to pay Palin's legal fees, ruling that the mayor had the right to fire city employees for any reason, including a political one.
Palin appointed Charles Fannon as police chief. Fannon later opposed a state law preventing police departments from billing rape victims or their health insurance for evidence collection kits.Fannon said that the Wasilla police had sometimes billed victims' health insurance in the past; Stambaugh said that under his tenure the city had paid. An investigation by the St. Petersburg Times found no evidence that Palin had explicitly supported or opposed the policy.During her first year in office, Palin kept a jar with the names of Wasilla residents on her desk, and once a week she pulled a name from it and picked up the phone; she would ask: "How's the city doing?" Using income generated by a 2% sales tax that was enacted before she was elected to the city council, Palin cut property taxes by 75% and eliminated personal property and business inventory taxes. Tapping municipal bonds, she made improvements to the roads and sewers, and increased funding to the Police Department.She also oversaw new bike paths and procured funding for storm-water treatment to protect freshwater resources. At the same time, she reduced spending on the town museum and blocked construction of a new library and city hall. Palin ran for re-election against Stein in 1999 and won, with 74% of the vote. She was also elected president of the Alaska Conference of Mayors.
SECOND TERM : As a mayor, Palin introduced a ballot measure proposing the construction of a municipal sports center to be financed by a 0.5% sales tax increase. The $14.7 million Wasilla Multi-Use Sports Complex was built on time and under budget, an additional $1.3 million caused because of of the failure to obtain clear title to the property before beginning construction. The city's debt grew from about $1 million to $25 million through voter-approved indebtedness of $15 million for the sports complex, $5.5 million for street projects, and $3 million for water improvement projects.
She also joined with nearby communities in jointly hiring the Anchorage-based lobbying firm of Robertson, Monagle & Eastaugh to lobby for federal funds. The firm secured nearly $8 million in earmarked funds for the Wasilla city government, and another $19 million for other public and private entities in the Wasilla valley area.Earmarks included $500,000 for a youth shelter, $1.9 million for a transportation hub, $900,000 for sewer repairs, and $15 million for a rail project linking Wasilla and the ski resort community of Girdwood. Term limits prevented Palin from running for a third term as mayor in 2002.
From 1996–2002 Palin served as the mayor of Wasilla. At the end of Palin's tenure as mayor in 2002, the city had around 6,300 residents. Palin defeated three-term incumbent mayor John Stein In 1996, in the name of wasteful spending & high taxes.She ntroduced abortion,gun rights,and term limits as campaign issues.Although the election was a nonpartisan blanket primary, the state Republican Party ran advertisements onbehalf of her.
FIRST TERM : In October 1996 she joined her office , Palin took the position of museum director and leaded wisefully she asked for updated resumes and resignation letters rom some top officials,including the police chief,public works director,finance director,librarian.It was Palins request to find out their intentions and whether they supported her or not.She required concerned department heads temporarly to get her approval before talking to reporters, because she want all officials that they first needed to become acquainted with her administration's policies. After creating the position of city administrator shed reduced her own $68,000 salary by 10%
According to Wasilla librarian Mary Ellen Emmons, Palin inquired two or three times in October 1996 as to how Emmons would handle any request to remove books from the library. John Stein, the former mayor of Wasilla and Palin's 1996 political opponent, said in September 2008 that Palin's "religious beliefs," and the concerns of some voters about language in the books, motivated her inquiries. In December 1996, Palin said she had no books or other material in mind for removal.No books were removed from the library, and Palin stated in 2006 that she would not allow her personal religious beliefs to dictate her political positions.
It was in January 1997, Palin fired Emmons and Police Chief Irl Stambaugh stating that she did not feel they fully supported her efforts to govern the city. The public support for Emmons and a personal meeting, Palin rescinded the firing of Emmons, stating that her concerns had been alleviated, and adding that Emmons agreed to support Palin's plan to merge the town's library and museum operations.Stambaugh, who had supported Palin's opponent Emmons in the election, filed. A wrongful termination lawsuit alleging that his termination violated his contract, reflected gender discrimination, and was for political reasons.He said, that he had opposed a bill in the state legislature, supported by Palin, that would "permit concealed weapons in schools and bars the bill stated that "a permitee may not carry a concealed handgun within or on school grounds."The federal judge who heard the case dismissed Stambaugh's lawsuit, ordering Stambaugh to pay Palin's legal fees, ruling that the mayor had the right to fire city employees for any reason, including a political one.
Palin appointed Charles Fannon as police chief. Fannon later opposed a state law preventing police departments from billing rape victims or their health insurance for evidence collection kits.Fannon said that the Wasilla police had sometimes billed victims' health insurance in the past; Stambaugh said that under his tenure the city had paid. An investigation by the St. Petersburg Times found no evidence that Palin had explicitly supported or opposed the policy.During her first year in office, Palin kept a jar with the names of Wasilla residents on her desk, and once a week she pulled a name from it and picked up the phone; she would ask: "How's the city doing?" Using income generated by a 2% sales tax that was enacted before she was elected to the city council, Palin cut property taxes by 75% and eliminated personal property and business inventory taxes. Tapping municipal bonds, she made improvements to the roads and sewers, and increased funding to the Police Department.She also oversaw new bike paths and procured funding for storm-water treatment to protect freshwater resources. At the same time, she reduced spending on the town museum and blocked construction of a new library and city hall. Palin ran for re-election against Stein in 1999 and won, with 74% of the vote. She was also elected president of the Alaska Conference of Mayors.
SECOND TERM : As a mayor, Palin introduced a ballot measure proposing the construction of a municipal sports center to be financed by a 0.5% sales tax increase. The $14.7 million Wasilla Multi-Use Sports Complex was built on time and under budget, an additional $1.3 million caused because of of the failure to obtain clear title to the property before beginning construction. The city's debt grew from about $1 million to $25 million through voter-approved indebtedness of $15 million for the sports complex, $5.5 million for street projects, and $3 million for water improvement projects.
She also joined with nearby communities in jointly hiring the Anchorage-based lobbying firm of Robertson, Monagle & Eastaugh to lobby for federal funds. The firm secured nearly $8 million in earmarked funds for the Wasilla city government, and another $19 million for other public and private entities in the Wasilla valley area.Earmarks included $500,000 for a youth shelter, $1.9 million for a transportation hub, $900,000 for sewer repairs, and $15 million for a rail project linking Wasilla and the ski resort community of Girdwood. Term limits prevented Palin from running for a third term as mayor in 2002.
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