FAIRBANKS — Two of three hopefuls for a vacant state House seat in North Pole pitched their electability when applying for the job, their applications show. The third touted his long involvement with the Republican Party, which earlier this month forwarded the three names — Doug Isaacson, Mike Prax and Tammie Wilson — to Gov. Sean Parnell for review.

The three applicants, who all cited their experience in local government, are looking to fill the seat vacated by Sen. John Coghill when he moved to the Legislature’s upper chamber. Coghill, a Republican, resigned the District 11 seat last month after being appointed to the Senate following the resignation of Gene Therriault, who joined Parnell’s administration as a senior adviser. The three finalists were chosen from a field of eight.

Parnell has until Nov. 27 to name Coghill’s replacement, who would need confirmation by House Republicans before serving the final year remaining in Coghill’s term.

Doug Isaacson

Voters in North Pole narrowly re-elected Isaacson last month as the city’s mayor.

Isaacson wrote in his application packet that he can better serve North Pole as a state representative. The city’s priorities, he said, are often also the state’s. North Pole, which hosts a pair of oil refineries and much of the generation infrastructure for Golden Valley Electric Association, is a big player in the state’s energy scene.

That means, Isaacson wrote, that the city’s demand for better water and sewer infrastructure, roads and railroad rerouting projects are in all Alaskans’ broad interest.

“I have worked with many legislators from this side of the table,” Isaacson wrote. “I would like the opportunity to take my passion, knowledge and experience and work with those legislators on their side of the table for the benefit of the many people in District 11 who already support me and know that I work for them, even though the boundaries of the city are (small).”

Isaacson also called his re-election evidence he can win tough races. He said it indicates he can win a full term in the House in 2010.

Mike Prax

Prax cites an active membership in the state Republican Party as a qualification for office. The former three-year assemblyman also used his application to criticize an “entitlement” mentality he said has gripped too many Alaskans.

Prax’s application letter generally stated that government has been allowed to expand beyond the intentions of those who drafted the federal Constitution and said voters generally need to “encourage more individual liberty.”

Prax said his family moved to Alaska in 1969, versus 1979 for Isaacson and 2002 for Wilson. He said he’s been active with the Republican Party for 25 years. In his application letter, he requests “permission to lean on (the party) when necessary to help advance the cause” of resisting “pressure to increase the power and scope of government.”

Prax also wrote that the state has seen plenty of changes since the trans-Alaska oil pipeline was built, flooding the state’s coffers.

“Most of that (change) has been good, but it has brought about an entitlement mindset that causes me concern for our future,” Prax wrote. “Fortunately the independent spirit of Alaska and the moral character that allows liberty to thrive is still intact in the Interior and especially in the North Pole area.”

Prax has served as district-level party chairman or vice chairman for 17 years. His application cites work on many campaigns, including that of Therriault and of former Rep. Jim Holm, the latter of which Prax said he served on as campaign manager.

Tammie Wilson

Wilson’s application points to her strong voter support, seen in precinct-level results from the recent borough mayoral race, as a sign she could easily win a full term in 2010. She won eight of the North Pole area’s precincts by a combined 2-to-1 ratio over winner Luke Hopkins.

Wilson also used her application to cite conservative fiscal and social philosophies and support for private property rights and said her efforts are informed by her Christian faith.

Wilson sounded a note similar to that of Prax, bemoaning what she views as an unhealthy reliance on government grants in much of the state. She cited her time directing the faith-based organization Love in the Name of Christ, which helps the needy through a network of church affiliates, as a key accomplishment during her roughly seven years in Fairbanks.

The organization changed dramatically recently, with Wilson and other directors pushing for less government aid, and revenue dropped from nearly $700,000 per year to less than $200,000 between 2006 and 2008, according to IRS records. About the same time, Love INC’s board of directors declined a $1 million federal grant, which had become a source of friction among board members.

Wilson, who is wrapping up her first year on the Borough Assembly, wrote in her House application packet that her time at Love INC presents a positive example of her accounting skills and her philosophical belief that volunteer organizations “not (be) beholden to the federal or state government.”

Contact staff writer Christopher Eshleman at 459-7582.