As the media has cast a more skeptical eye toward Sarah Palin in recent days, the revelations about her tenure as mayor of Wasilla and governor of Alaska have sounded oddly familiar. The vindictive firings of bureaucrats over petty grievances; the hiring of unqualified cronies to run government agencies; the meddling of “First Dude” Todd Palin in government business; the financial disarray that continues to roil her hometown. No, it’s not George W. Bush that comes to mind, but rather a chief executive closer to home: Maplewood Mayor Diana Longrie! As I chronicled in this City Pages cover story last year, the folksy attorney came to power in 2005 with a message of reform and immediately set about dismantling the municipal government. With the help of two allies on the city council, she ousted the city manager, human resources director, city attorney, finance director and an assistant police chief who’d once arrested her husband. Longrie then installed a longtime pal as the city manager, despite the fact that he possessed zero qualifying experience.

Not surprisingly, within two years Maplewood’s finances were in the toilet and the city was facing numerous lawsuits. Unfortunately for Longrie, she doesn’t possess quite the nimble political skills of Palin. One of her council allies was voted out of office last year, stripping the Mayor of the votes needed to continue enacting her agenda, and last week Longrie was trounced in a primary election for a House seat. Perhaps she should move to Alaska and run for governor.