OK, executive experience as a small-town Mayor is a key qualification for Sarah Palin. So, what kind of shape did Mayor Palin leave Wasilla in?
This is a March 2005 article, a couple years after Palin was done as Mayor of Wasilla:
WASILLA - The Matanuska-Susitna area is the methamphetamine capital of Alaska, according to Alaska State Troopers.
In 2003, authorities uncovered nine meth labs in the area. Last year, the number increased to 42, said Kyle Young, an investigator with the troopers who works with the Mat-Su narcotics team.
Officials with the Office of Children's Services in Wasilla said the problem affects children. The office receives about 40 calls a month from people reporting abuse or neglect involving some aspect of the highly addictive drug.
OK, so this article is after her time as Mayor. Is it fair, then, to point to her tenure as the start of the Meth problem in Wasilla? In short? Yes.
The scourge of Meth in Wasilla seems to have started growing under Palin’s tenure. There was not A SINGLE ARTICLE I could find about a meth problem in the area before she took office in 1996.
But, from a 2002 article, when she was Mayor:
Troopers find meth lab evidence
PALMER - A Wasilla woman was arrested after materials used to manufacture methamphetamine were found in two cars and a shed behind her home, Alaska State Troopers said Thursday.
Laurie Redington, 32, was charged with three counts of misconduct involving a controlled substance.
Redington was arrested and booked at the Mat-Su Pretrial Facility on three counts of misconduct involving a controlled substance. Bail was set at $50,000.
I don't want to imply that Meth issues should be mocked, nor am I saying Wasilla is the only place on earth dealing with this problem. But, given that one of her first acts as Mayor was to fire the Police Chief, and Meth does seem to pop up when a rural area becomes particularly depressed economically, one has to wonder: If this is what she did to Wasilla, is this who John McCain really wants one heartbeat away from running America?