New Wasilla mayor sets sights on small improvements, big projects

What you need to know:

• New Wasilla Mayor Alina Rubeo plans to focus her first actions on city beautification, maintenance and improvements to City Hall while completing major projects started under the previous administration.
• Rubeo also wants to boost city employee morale and strengthen relationships with the City Council. She is replacing two senior city officials to bring city leadership more in line with her priorities.
• Rubeo plans to move forward with airport, water and sewer infrastructure projects while weighing potential fee increases to cover the cost of city services.
• Short on time but need the local news scoop? Get free weekly news in your inbox for Mat-Su, from Mat-Su.

WASILLA — New Wasilla Mayor Alina Rubeo says she has big plans for the city's future, starting with a focus on the little things.

“I feel like a baseball closer,” she said in an interview late last month. “I want to button up and close some of those projects that have been open or were open and never dealt with.”

Those projects require steps towards big undertakings, like an ongoing effort to connect Wasilla’s water system to Palmer’s, and smaller efforts, like finishing an overhaul of Nunley Park that started about two years ago and putting the final touches on repairs to the city’s train depot and surrounding landscape.

Rubeo, who served on the Wasilla City Council from 2022 until winning the mayoral election last month, secured the seat in a three-way race against Council Member Stu Graham and former state Rep. David Wilson.

Born and raised in Wasilla, Rubeo owns Wasilla-based Edge Fitness and previously ran Edge Preschool until it closed in 2024. Her family is also deeply rooted in the region, she said. Her father’s company, Big Dipper Construction, based a half-mile from City Hall, provides road maintenance and construction services in Mat-Su.

Rubeo replaced former Wasilla Mayor Glenda Ledford, who did not run for reelection after reaching the city’s term limit. Ledford held the seat from 2020 until this year.

Rubeo said her immediate priorities as mayor include boosting morale at City Hall by working closely with employees to address problems and ongoing workplace issues, as well as beginning improvements to the aging building.

Ledford had put off some of those fixes, instead proposing a plan to relocate City Hall to a new facility.

“I think people get so focused on other things that you forget your presentation is huge,” Rubeo said. “I want to start from the inside because it's winter time, using our maintenance guys and go slowly.”

Building updates will include minor fixes like fresh paint and updated carpet over the winter, and major work like new siding and exterior repairs once the weather clears next year, she said.

Rubeo said she also plans to use that same philosophy around the city, starting with small improvements that include road striping and efforts to improve overall curb appeal. She wants to make Wasilla a place where people want to spend time, rather than somewhere residents visit only to shop.

“You want people to feel comfortable. You want them to feel like this is their home, and we're proud to live in Wasilla,” she said. “We know it's a business hub. But could we add some changes to make it a little bit more homey?”

Rubeo said she plans to push her projects forward by keeping a friendly working relationship with all members of the City Council, something Ledford struggled to do so often that it became a running joke during council meetings. 

She is also replacing the city’s public works director and deputy administrator to ensure the people leading those offices align with her priorities, she said. The roles were previously held by Erich Schaal and Crystal Nygard, respectively.

“We’re replacing people that didn't fit the mold, so to speak, of what I wanted for this administration,” she said.

While minor tasks like beautification are high on her priority list, Rubeo said she remains focused on finishing larger projects started by Ledford. Those include expansions at the city’s airport and an upgrade to the city’s sewage treatment plant.

Her first major task, she said, is crafting next year’s budget and determining whether the city needs to increase fees for water, sewer and airport use. The City Council has known increases are needed to cover the cost of those services, and now it needs to tackle implementing them, she said.

“We’re behind by a lot,” she said. “But it's one of those things that is very common, and we knew it in the last budget.”

-- Contact Amy Bushatz at contact@matsusentinel.com