What you need to know:

• Both Palmer and Wasilla have vacant City Council seats due to recent resignations and will appoint new members to serve until the October elections. 
• Palmer’s application period is open now through April 10, with a selection expected by late May. Wasilla will accept applications from April 7 to 14, conduct interviews on April 28 and swear in the selected member immediately. Applications are available on the cities’ websites or at city hall. In Palmer, candidates will be interviewed and appointed by the mayor; in Wasilla, they will be interviewed and selected by the council.
• Applicants must be registered voters, residents of the respective city for at least one year, and live within city limits. In Wasilla, applicants are prohibited from simultaneously holding another elected borough or state office.  

PALMER - A pair of recent resignations in Palmer and Wasilla have left each city council with an empty seat - and an opportunity for residents to try their hand at public service without first running for office.

Rather than holding a special election, each community's municipal code requires that vacancies be filled temporarily through an interview and appointment process. Appointees will serve until October, at which time they must appear on the ballot or resign.

In Palmer, the mayor can conduct the interview and selection privately and then announce his decision, according to city code. In Wasilla, the city council selects a new member by vote. Appointees in each city serve until October, at which time they must appear on the ballot or resign.

The vacancies provide an opportunity for residents interested in public service to serve for several months before potentially running for election.

Are you interested in running for Palmer or Wasilla city council? Here's what you need to know.

How to apply for Palmer City Council

Palmer's City Council consists of six members elected to at-large seats, each serving a three-year term. Ballots ask voters to select multiple candidates, with the total depending on how many seats are up for reelection. Council members may serve an unlimited number of terms.

The current application and interview process will use a direct appointment to fill a seat previously held by Council Member Richard Best, who resigned this month due to ongoing turmoil surrounding his presence on the council.

Palmer city law requires the mayor to appoint someone to fill any seat vacated by resignation. Because the seat was vacated well before the next regular election in October, the appointment does not require a council vote, according to city law.

Instead, the mayor will review applications, conduct interviews and select a new council member, according to city code. The application period opened this week and closes at noon on April 10. Palmer Mayor Steve Carrington must announce a selection within 45 days - a deadline that falls in early May. Applications are available at Palmer City Hall and on the city's website, officials said.

Applicants must be registered voters in the city — a requirement that includes living within the city limits — and have been residents for at least one year.

Related: How to know if you live within city limits (and can vote in city elections)

Those hoping to apply for the seat should treat the process like a job interview and be prepared to discuss their vision for the city, advised Council Member Josh Tudor, who was first appointed to the council through an interview in 2021. Unlike the current process, which only includes interviews with the mayor, Tudor interviewed in front of the full council. He filled the seat for several months before officially winning the seat in the October 2021 election. He is up for reelection this year.

“It’s not just saying, ‘Hey, I want to be on the council.’ You’re going to be asked, ‘How do you want to improve Palmer?’” he said. “Have kind of an idea of what you want to focus on.”

Council member Carolina Graver suggested applicants bring a desire to serve and review previous meetings to understand how the council works. She was appointed in January 2021 through an application submitted to the mayor and was elected to the seat later that year. She is also up for reelection in October.

"Turns out all you need is a willingness to listen to and represent your constituents, learn from mistakes and make your voice heard when you need to speak up," she said. "Even if you don't think you're 'qualified' or it makes you nervous, apply anyway."

How to apply for Wasilla City Council

The Wasilla City Council consists of six members elected to seats A through F, each serving a three-year term. Ballots ask voters to select one candidate for each open seat. Council members may serve an unlimited number of terms but must take a one-year break after serving two consecutive terms.

The current application and interview process will use a direct appointment to fill Seat C, previously held by Council Member Timothy Johnson, who resigned this month due to health concerns.

Because Johnson resigned well before the next regular election in October, Wasilla City Code requires the vacancy to be filled through an interview and vote by the remaining council members and the mayor.

Residents interested in filling the seat may apply between April 7 and April 14. Applicants must be registered to vote in the city, live within the Wasilla city limits, and have been residents for at least one year. They may not simultaneously hold an elected borough-wide or state office. Applications will be posted on the city's website and will also be available at Wasilla City Hall beginning April 2, according to the city clerk's office.

Applicants who meet the city's residency requirements will be invited to a public interview with the City Council on the evening of April 28. The person selected will be sworn in immediately.

Interview questions will not be provided in advance. Applicants will wait in a private room during individual interviews and then appear before the council one at a time, according to city policy. After the interviews are done, the council will deliberate in closed session before taking a public vote to select the new member.

Individuals can prepare by reviewing past council meetings and attending current ones, suggested Wasilla council members Cathy Cottle and Ian Crafton. Both first applied for the council following other members’ resignations. Cottle was selected and later elected by voters last year; Crafton was not selected but won election to Seat D in 2023 and will be up for reelection next year.

“Be informed on what’s going on in the city — that’s a really big thing,” Cottle said. “You need to be informed on everything from infrastructure to what the city’s concerns are and how the public feels about things going on in the city.”

-- Contact Amy Bushatz at contact@matsusentinel.com

This article was updated March 27 to clarify that the deadline for selecting a new Palmer city council member falls in early May.