Steve M. Thompson

Steve M. Thompson
Steve Thompson in November 2010
47th Mayor of Fairbanks, Alaska
In office 2001–2007
Preceded by	James C. Hayes
Succeeded by	Terry Strle
Member of the Alaska House of Representatives from the 10th district
Incumbent
Assumed office January 17, 2011
Preceded by	Jay Ramras
Personal details
Born	(1944-10-27) October 27, 1944 Cottage Grove, Oregon
Political party	Republican
Spouse(s)	(1) Janel Thompson (died 2006) (2) Kathleen Thompson (m. 2009)
Residence	Fairbanks, Alaska
Alma mater	Southern Oregon College
Occupation	Auto Parts Business Owner
Military service
Allegiance	United States of America
Service/branch	United States Army
Years of service	1965–1967
Rank	Sergeant

Stephen Max "Steve" Thompson (born October 27, 1944)^[1][2] is a retired businessman and Republican politician from the US state of Alaska. He has been a member of the Alaska House of Representatives from District 10 in Fairbanks since 2011. He previously served as mayor of Fairbanks from 2001 to 2007.

Early life

Steve Thompson was born in Cottage Grove, Oregon. He attended Southern Oregon College from 1963 to 1965 before joining the U.S. Army, where he attained the rank of sergeant. His last duty station was at Fort Wainwright, adjacent to Fairbanks, Alaska. After being discharged from the Army, he remained in Fairbanks and went to work for a local business, M & O Auto Parts. Thompson eventually became the president and CEO of M & O, selling it to the Schuck's Auto Supply chain in 1999.^[2][3]

Political career

Thompson, retired from business, ran for the position of mayor of Fairbanks in 2001. The seat was open, as the incumbent, James C. Hayes, was term-limited. At the time, Thompson was manager of the Fairbanks lodge of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. He defeated five other challengers, including two incumbent members of the city council, Scott Kawasaki and Charlie Rex.^[4]

Thompson was unopposed for re-election in 2004. In 2007, himself term-limited, Thompson ran for and won a seat on the city council. He resigned shortly thereafter, citing problems related to the illness and death of his wife, Janel. Critics and opponents claimed that in fact, he had relocated to Palm Springs, California but was still claiming Fairbanks as his residence for political purposes.

Thompson ran for another open seat, this time in the Alaska House of Representatives, in 2010. The incumbent, Jay Ramras, ran unsuccessfully for lieutenant governor. In the primary, he defeated Vivian Stiver, a downtown Fairbanks merchant and city council member who ran unsuccessfully in 2007 to replace him as mayor, and 92-year-old Urban Rahoi, the owner of a large mobile home park immediately outside of Fairbanks city limits and a perennial candidate who first ran for a House seat from Fairbanks in 1962, running almost continuously for most of the period between the early 1970s and early 1990s. In the general election, he defeated John S. Brown, who had also unsuccessfully challenged Ramras in 2008.

Personal life

Thompson's first wife, Janel, died of cancer. The Fairbanks North Star Borough named parkland adjacent to the Chena River after her. Thompson married his second wife, Kathleen, in 2009.^[3] He has 4 children: Todd, Scott, Natalie and Aaron.^[2] Todd, an employee of the Fairbanks North Star Borough, was heavily involved in the political battle in Fairbanks over eliminating emissions testing during the time his father served as mayor.

References

External links

• Alaska State Legislature – Representative Steve Thompson official government website
• Campaign web site
• Steve Thompson at 100 Years of Alaska's Legislature