The Wasilla City Council voted unanimously Thursday to require future mayoral candidates to have been residents of the city for at least two years, up from the current one-year requirement.

Council Member Justin Crafton moved to adopt Ordinance Serial Number 2515, and Council Member Graham seconded. The roll call vote recorded Council Members Caudill, Grama, Schmidt, Crafton, Velock and Rubio in favor; the motion carried without opposition.

Supporters said a two-year requirement better ensures that mayoral candidates have experience and familiarity with city operations and issues before seeking the city’s chief executive post. Crafton said the city has a “strong mayor” form of government and noted concern that candidates could change addresses and quickly run for mayor without deep connection to local voters.

Council Member Graham said Wasilla has a history of long-term resident mayors and described the change as consistent with that tradition.

The ordinance language, as read at the hearing, amends Wasilla Municipal Code chapter 2.16, section 2.16.030 (Qualification of Mayor), changing the residency requirement from one year to two. The code amendment will take effect after the required posting period, per the council’s standard ordinance schedule.

City staff and the city attorney confirmed for the council that the proposed language uses the same form of “immediately prior to the election” timing that the current code uses and that adding the word “consecutive” would be a clerical clarification if the council wished to add it later.