Contributed by Ted Leonard
I am Ted Leonard and I want to take a moment to introduce myself as your candidate for Mat-Su Borough Assembly representing the Greater Wasilla Area.
I am a long-time Valley resident, my wife, Colleen, and I have raised our children here and we want Mat-Su to continue to be a great place to raise a family and enjoy all the Valley has to offer.
The Mat-Su Borough is faced with unprecedented growth now compounded by the economic challenges of a troubling recession. To meet these challenges, we must ensure our borough government is effective and accountable to our residents. My priorities will be to grow our economy, provide needed infrastructure, support our public safety and ensure that our children are receiving a quality education.
I have a unique set of skills in finance and economic development that are very important to be at the assembly table at this time. I have served as the executive director of the Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority (AIDEA), a billion dollar finance development corporation, for seven years. I have also served in other financial capacities for state and local governments, such as deputy commissioner for Commerce for the State of Alaska, director of Finance and Administrative Services for the City of Wasilla and in various finance positions for school districts across the state. I have also worked in the private sector as a chief financial officer and I am a small business owner providing accounting and financial services.
The Mat-Su is a great place to live, work and play, but at this time it will take unique solutions and dedication to keep it that way. I will bring a calm, steady hand and the skills of finance and economic development to help guide us through these times without unnecessary taxes and regulations. We simply must provide a proper borough government that will attract economic development which in turn will provide family-wage jobs for our residents.
There are many high-priority issues in our community, but at this time it is the financial stability and viability of our essential services, where difficult and measured decisions must be made, not kicked down the road for the next generation to deal with.
Over the next two months, I will be out in the community meeting with residents and businesses to discuss the challenges facing the Borough and how we can address these challenges. I want to ensure that Mat-Su continues to be a vibrant community for our children to come home to and for residents to work and live.
I ask for your support and vote on October 3rd. You can contact me at tedleonard4assembly@gmail.com, call me at 373-2860 or visit my Facebook page - Ted Leonard For Mat-Su Borough Assembly.
