Contributed by Michelle Overstreet
Wasilla Mayor, Bert Cottle, has really set the bar high for leadership in Wasilla. He has been mayor for three years and in that time: Wasilla (finally!) has a new library; the ribbon cutting was celebrated by folks from the Butte and Palmer to Willow and Talkeetna, 200 new businesses have opened in Wasilla offering food, retail sales and fun and the downtown improvement overlay has encouraged many businesses to re-face their buildings for an updated look! The Value Village mall is looking great, the Credit Union building got a paint job and many of the shops on Main Street are looking sharp after makeovers.
The sales tax has gone down by a half penny, as promised, and the police are doing a great job of balancing the increases in crime and the homeless population as a result of the opiate epidemic. There have even been cases of officers dropping homeless youth at the local homeless youth drop-in center as a result of the support the mayor has given to the programs training clients for jobs there. Bert Cottle has supported the youth in this community in many ways, encouraging programs and activities that are healthy and working to stop crime.
Finally, Bert Cottle is a hometown mayor, born and raised here in the Valley. He has the best interests of this town and the people at heart. He has demonstrated leadership, is extremely experienced having been the Mayor of Valdez before becoming the Mayor of Wasilla. He attends all the meetings for the Borough Assembly, local coalitions and partnerships and keeps a finger on the pulse of what is happening in the Valley. He is dedicated and hardworking, and would be a great asset to Wasilla for another three years.
