On paper, Soldotna area voters will consider three candidates when they choose a new representative for the Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly during next week’s municipal election. One of those candidates has suspended his campaign, another is battling the borough in federal court over public access and the third is a retired school principal looking to dip his toe into local politics.
The assembly’s District 4 - Soldotna seat covers Soldotna city limits and parts of the Mackey and Sports lake areas. The incumbent, Tyson Cox, is term-limited after serving two three-year terms.
Only one of the three candidates, Sargeant Truesdell, attended this year’s KDLL and Peninsula Clarion candidate forum earlier this month. Truesdell is a retired Soldotna High School principal. He recently served on the borough’s tourism industry working group and holds a master’s degree in education.
“I've learned that the current borough administration's approach to governing aligns closely with my own,” Truesdell said during the forum. “To me, a budget that meets the needs of residents without growing government faster than it should is a beautiful thing.”
Mitch Michaud will also appear on the ballot, even though he suspended his campaign shortly after the filing period closed. He missed a deadline to be removed from the ballot. He told KDLL he is focusing on a bid for Homer Electric Association’s Board of Directors and his volunteer work.
And, for full disclosure, Michaud’s volunteer work includes serving on KDLL’s board of directors.
Nick Conner is the other candidate running for the seat. He’s a small business owner and public activist who says exposing government waste and misuse of power is his top priority. Conner says he didn’t attend the candidate forum in part because he was upset over the death of political activist Charlie Kirk, who was killed earlier in the day. Also, he said he didn’t realize Michaud had suspended his campaign.
As part of his effort to hold governments accountable, Conner has focused extensively on access to Kenai Peninsula Borough buildings and records. Conner is suing the borough and Borough Mayor Peter Micciche in federal court after he says they violated his constitutional rights by banning him from borough facilities for a year.
Last year, the borough assembly passed legislation allowing the borough mayor to ban individuals from borough property. Conner says that legislation was enacted specifically to bar him from public information and resources. Less than a year after the ordinance passed, the complaint says Micciche sent Conner a letter banning him from borough facilities because of QUOTE "disconcerting, threatening, profane and aggressive behavior” toward borough staff.
Conner says the trespass order bars him from accessing basic borough services, like hospitals and schools, which are owned by the borough. He filed suit in March, about three months after being banned. The case is pending in the U.S. District Court for Alaska. Conner says his legal case won’t be a barrier to him serving in office.
Conner said Monday he filed the suit to defend the public’s right to access public information, record public business and participate in public meetings without fear of punishment. And as an assembly candidate, he says he has similar goals.
“My campaign is about ensuring the borough truly lives its motto—'We work for you”—by making meetings genuinely open, records accessible, and employees respectful to every resident,” Conner wrote.
More coverage of this year’s municipal candidates and ballot propositions can be found on our website.
