VOTE FOR JOSH
Palmer Mayor
My name is Josh Tudor
And I want to GROW Palmer
I am an 18 year resident of Palmer, I have raised my family here and have built in my business here for the past 12 years. I have made it my mission to improve our city however I can.
I started out on the Palmer Planning and Zoning Committee, then I volunteered to be on City Council. In 2022 I was elected to the Palmer City Council and this year I was elected to be your Deputy Mayor.
I also do a lot of volunteer work and have been president of groups such as BNI and Palmer Rotary. I am also a member of the Palmer Lions Club and active in my church. I am on on the Matsu Borough Emergency Planning Committee for the City of Palmer, represent the city at the Palmer Chamber of Commerce events, give updates to the Matsu Borough Assembly on behalf of the City of Palmer, and I also hold an MBA.
My mission is to GROW Palmer. We need a Mayor who is able to spend their days working for YOU not just after 5 pm. You deserve a Mayor who will work with our City Council to focus on growth. Our city needs to focus on expanding, on supporting our small businesses, and making Palmer the best place to live in Alaska. With my small business I do a lot of work with business all over Palmer and beyond so I have experience working with our small businesses, organizations, and proven leadership. My goal is to make the City Council better through annual training, update our city comprehensive plan so we have a strategic vision for the future, and focus on growth. We need to work better together!
It is about Palmer's future
We need a Mayor who is forward thinking, and works to better our community. Palmer has to look at it's future and decide if we want to grow or if we want to stay the same. If we choose to stay the same that our children will pay the price for our inaction. Lets give our young people a chance to make Palmer their home and their future. We need more housing, more businesses, and more support for our community events like Friday Fling and Colony Days. We need a strategic vision for Palmer, we need a path forward. Lets GROW!
My Mission
My mission is to GROW Palmer. We have lost a number of businesses in our core downtown area, and we need to promote our city better to get businesses back. We need a Mayor who is going to go out and promote our city and work with our community to attract people, businesses, and events. We need to increase our revenues so we can provide better services to us that live here in Palmer. And we need to GROW.
Palmer has been stuck at around 5 square miles for far too long. We HAVE to grow in order to be a significant presence in the Matsu Valley and Alaska. In business there is saying that goes, "If you are not growing, you are dying". And this is true of cities as well. I don't want us to be relegated to being a "bedroom" community for Anchorage or Wasilla. I want our children, and their children to be able to live, work, and have a future here.
To do this we need leadership that can not only be your Mayor after "regular business houses". Lets face it, most events take place Monday to Friday 9-5. We need a Mayor that can be present and make a difference whenever the need arises. We need a Mayor who is not just running a meeting, but also present and active in Palmer.
We also need a Mayor who works with the entire City Council and promotes unity, a shared vision, and education. City Council should be something that is approachable and has an atmosphere of helping each other to get the things YOU as a voter want done.
Involved in our community
I am someone who is involved with various groups and organizations in Palmer such as the Palmer Lions Club, Palmer Rotary Club, Mat-Su Miners, and many others. I do this because it is important that the Mayor be heavily involved in our community. We are a community made up of different viewpoints and we need a Mayor who understands multiple viewpoints and perspectives. Palmer needs a Mayor who will work with our whole City Council and ensure that the things YOU want done, happen. You have probably seen me picking up trash during events, or helping organize the parades, or even doing announcements. It does not matter how big or small the job is, the important thing is that our city looks good and is the best place to live, work, and play. Our city needs a leader who is not afraid to get their hands dirty and has proven experience organizing events, getting people working, mending fences, and building bridges. We are a small city, we need to work together to benefit each other
How to Improve City Council
As Deputy Mayor I came into the position in a turbulent time and had to quickly make a firm choice to replace our city manager. This of course led to some rather rough City Council meetings for the next several months. After hearing from constituents I pushed and got councilmember training in 2025. I want to apply what I learned to improve our city Council even further.
-
After each election in October we need to do mandatory council training. This applies to everyone as we all could use a refresher and needs to be done annually.
-
Focus the City Council to work on the comprehensive plan in October 2025. We have to focus on a strategic vision for the city and focus on the big picture and not fighting each other.
-
At each meeting, ask the rest of the council if they have anything they need to disclose to the public. This could be ex-parte communication or just things they should be disclosing by may have forgotten to say otherwise.
-
Have a culture of training and education. City Council should be approachable by everyone. The new city council members should have the Mayor ask, "how can I help get what you want done" not just told to sit and be quiet.
-
Be present at events, give speeches, and show leadership. Encourage the council to be involved in the community.
-
Ask the City Council to be on boards, commissions, and to give updates. We can all work together as your elected officials to grow and showcase Palmer and be in communication with our Borough, State, and Federal government.
-
Create a City Council social media ethics policy, we should not have elected officials disparaging people or spreading false information
Get Involved
Want to get involved and help GROW Palmer? Fill out this form and we will get back to you as soon as possible.
Josh went to an ESGR event for the City of Palmer
