The Wasilla City Council voted down Ordinance Serial Number 2516, a proposal to require council confirmation of appointments to the finance director and police chief positions, after hours of debate that turned partisan and personal.

Council Member Justin Crafton moved to adopt the ordinance; Rubio seconded. Debate focused on whether confirmation would provide useful oversight or add unnecessary bureaucracy. Council Member Graham offered an amendment to remove the finance director from the confirmation requirement (leaving only the police chief subject to confirmation) but that amendment failed for lack of a second. The final roll call on the ordinance failed 3–3: Council Members Cottle, Graham and Crafton voted yes; Council Members Schmidt, Velock and Rubio voted no. The motion therefore failed.

Speakers dividing on the measure argued competing views: supporters framed confirmation as a modest additional check on executive appointments; opponents said confirmations invite political interference into personnel matters and could expose candidate interviews to legal risk for employment protections.

The vote occurred against the backdrop of a separate, contentious discussion about procurement card (P-card) use and the recent resignation of the city’s finance director. Council Member Crafton said his support for confirmation stems in part from concerns he raised after reviewing P-card transactions; he said the council should have an additional review step for sensitive positions. Council Member Velock and others said P-card controls and routine oversight are administration responsibilities and that the council lacked the technical expertise to replace those administrative processes.

City Attorney Holly cautioned that confirmation hearings for employees can carry legal risk because directors are employees covered by anti-discrimination and personnel rules; she described the proposed process as a “confirmation process, not a questioning or interview process,” and recommended caution on conducting public questioning that could trigger legal exposure.

Interim Finance Director Ted Leonard and city staff later confirmed that the city would continue with normal hiring and that payroll and procurement functions would be handled according to existing policy. The meeting concluded without adopting the confirmation requirement; members of the public and several council members indicated the issues around P-card policy and procurement oversight warrant further administrative review.