Wasilla City Council member Timothy Johnson to resign
Johnson is stepping down because of health and family issues, he said in a letter.
What you need to know:
- Wasilla City Council member Timothy Johnson will resign effective March 25 because of health and family reasons, according to a letter he submitted to city officials this week.
- His seat will be filled through an application process and a council vote, with a new member selected by early May. The application window has not yet been set.
- Johnson was first elected in 2020 and reelected unopposed in 2023. He is the third council member to resign for health or family reasons since 2022.
WASILLA – Wasilla City Council member Timothy Johnson will resign effective March 25, according to a letter he submitted to city officials this week.
Johnson is stepping down because of health and family issues, he said in the letter, which was submitted ahead of a regular council meeting on Monday. He holds Council Seat C.
The seat will be refilled through an application process and council vote, city officials said. That process must be completed by May 9, or 45 days after Johnson’s resignation, according to city code.
Johnson was first elected to the council in 2020 and ran unopposed for reelection in 2023. His current term expires next year.
"I have enjoyed my time on the council and the friendships I have made," he wrote in the letter. "I believe in a great future for the city of Wasilla."
Johnson did not immediately respond to a request for comment. He attended Monday's council meeting by phone.
A measure accepting Johnson's resignation will be presented to the council for a vote at a meeting scheduled for March 25, Wasilla City Clerk Jamie Newman said in an interview. Council members are also expected to approve an application and council voting process for filling the seat, she said.
Applications for the seat will be available at the Wasilla city clerk's office and must include a letter of interest, according to a 2021 city policy on council member appointments. The application window will last at least seven days, the policy states. The council will interview candidates during a public meeting and vote on a replacement, and the selected applicant will be sworn in immediately, it states.
The person selected for the seat must run for election in October or step down, according to city code.
City code allows any Wasilla voter to apply for the seat as long as they have lived in the city for at least one year and are not currently serving as an elected official in state or local government, including the Matanuska-Susitna Borough School Board or assembly.
Johnson is the third council member to step down since 2022.
Early last year, Council member Colleen Sullivan-Leonard resigned from Seat A due to health issues, according to a resignation letter submitted to the council. Council member Cathy Cottle was appointed to the seat and retained it in an uncontested election in October.
In 2022, Council member James Harvey resigned from Seat F because he planned to move out of state, according to his resignation letter. Council member Alina Rubeo was appointed to the seat and ran for it unopposed later that year.
-- Contact Amy Bushatz at contact@matsusentinel.com
