Here’s the paragraph that started it in The Times:

[Wasilla is] a small, unkempt-looking place, defined by a series of out-of-town stores, a huge lumber yard, a ramshackle bar named the Mug-Shot Saloon with Harley Davidsons parked outside and a lake, by the side of which is Palin’s house….

The Frontiersman, which — good for them! — has some home-town pride, hits back:

It’s as inaccurate and unfair as it would be for anyone else to define England by a stereotypical lack of dental hygiene.

I think the problem here, as several locals have pointed out to me, is that Wasilla is not really about it’s main highway drag of fast-food chains and big-box stores that visiting national reporters have been covering.

Most residents live nestled among trees and nature and spend free time enjoying the many outdoor activities Alaska has to offer. One source cancelled on me yesterday morning because he heard the moose hunting was particularly good right now! So, I see the Frontiersman’s point that painting the place as a dump is unfair.

However, the press, national and international, isn’t here to write travel columns. We made the trek to take a look at the city that Palin ran as mayor. The McCain campaign has cited her time as mayor as one of her qualifications for the vice presidency.

The Times is “defining” Wasilla in terms of what Palin could control. Perhaps they should have mentioned the beautiful mountain views to the south of town. Still, it’s fair to evaluate the look and feel of a downtown that clearly didn’t have much planning or zoning restrictions put in place by its mayor.

It’s a harsh world.

I photocopied one story, from December 1996, about Palin’s run-in with Wasilla’s director of libraries, Mary Ellen Emmons. The article is in line with what several commenters mentioned here a few days ago. Emmons says that in October and December, 1996, the year Palin took office, the new mayor asked her if she would tolerate censorship of library books.

According to the article, Palin’s response to the accusation was to say that the discussions were “in the context of a professional question being asked in regards to library policy.”

The next month Palin left a letter on Emmons desk asking her to resign. It said, ”I do not feel I have your full support in my efforts to govern the city of Wasilla. Therefore I intend to terminate your employment ….”

The Anchorage Daily News reported at the time, as did the Frontiersman, that the conflict was over whether to restructure the local library and museum operations. After some discussions, Palin seems to have decided Emmons was willing to toe the line. She kept her job as library director.

I’m reading an article from October 1996, in which a reporter named Laura Mitchell Harris asks Palin about her intentions for a shake up. How would she effectively run a city without experienced leaders? “”It’s not rocket science,” Palin said, “It’s $6 million and 53 employees.”

Note: A big thank you to the Frontiersman for opening their newsroom to me!

Update: Internet access is a bit tough to come by here, so I update frequently on twitter via phone.