Kenai Peninsula Borough voters will choose new city council, borough and school board representatives tomorrow, on top of a slate of borough- and city-wide propositions.
We’ve been interviewing candidates for those elections in live candidate forums throughout September. As a refresher, here’s who — and what — will be on the ballots this municipal election day. You can listen to our interviews with the candidates any time.
City of Kenai
Voters in the City of Kenai will elect a mayor to serve a three-year term. Teea Winger is challenging incumbent Brian Gabriel for that seat.
There are also two open seats on the Kenai City Council. Victoria Askin, Alex Douthit and incumbent Glenese Pettey are vying for those openings.
City of Soldotna
Soldotna voters have two city council races on their ballots. Voters will choose between incumbent Dave Carey and Erick Hugarte for Seat D. Garrett Dominick is challenging incumbent Lisa Parker for council Seat E.
Soldotna voters will also vote on a $15 million bond to finance the construction of a new indoor field house, which would include an indoor turf field and elevated track, as well as locker rooms and an event space. Voters rejected a similar bond by about 20 votes in 2019. The city says this bond would not result in any tax changes for voters.
Assembly and school board
On the borough side, Nikiski voters will choose between incumbent Jesse Bjorkman and candidates Dil Uhlin and Chase Griffith for the District 3 assembly seat.
Soldotna voters are also electing a new borough assembly member. They’ll choose between Don Boston and incumbent Tyson Cox for the District 4 seat.
Incumbent Brent Johnson is running unopposed for the assembly District 7 seat, representing the central peninsula.
There are also three Kenai Peninsula Borough School District Board of Education seats up for grabs.
Patti Truesdell and Virgil Gattenby are running for District 1, representing Kalifornsky. Virginia Morgan and Ryan Culbertson are running for District 6, representing the eastern peninsula. And Zen Kelly is running unopposed for District 9, representing the southern peninsula.
Borough propositions
On top of those races, borough voters will decide on three ballot propositions tomorrow.
Proposition 1 puts a new apportionment plan to voters, who will choose between the existing nine-district plan or a new, 11-district plan for assembly and school board seats. That reapportionment is a requirement after the 2020 census.
Proposition 2 would approve a $65.5-million bond for deferred maintenance projects in the school district, for an estimated tax increase of about $45 per $100,000 of property value — or $25 per $100,000, if the Alaska Legislature starts reimbursing bonds again and ends the moratorium on bond debt reimbursement.
And Proposition 3 would greenlight a $16.5-million bond for a new Central Emergency Services station in Soldotna. For a home valued at $100,000, that expense would increase property taxes by about $36 a year. (Only voters within the Central Emergency Services area will vote on Proposition 3.)
How to vote
You can find your precinct and polling place kpb.us/vote. Polls are open on election day (Oct. 4) from 7 a.m to 8 p.m.
Absentee by-mail ballots must be postmarked on or before tomorrow to be counted.
