Brent Hibbert is returning to the Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly. That’s after the assembly’s other members Tuesday appointed him to the group’s vacant District 1 - Kalifornsky seat.
Hibbert held the seat from 2017 until 2024, when he reached his term limit. He owned Alaska Cab for over three decades and also serves on the Kenai River Special Management Area Board.
During an interview with the assembly, Hibbert said he’d step into the position with little need for onboarding.
“I’ve served probably every committee, chaired every committee that we have as vice president and president, so I'd have the experience, and there wouldn't be much training,” he said. “I don't think I've forgotten much.”
Hibbert replaces Scott Griebel, who was elected to the seat in 2025 and resigned last month to take a job with the borough.
Hibbert was sworn in during the assembly’s regular meeting and will serve until the next borough election in November. That’s when Kalifornsky voters will elect someone to serve the balance of the three-year term started by Griebel.
The assembly also interviewed applicants Teresa Mullican and Annarose “Noelle” Phillips on Tuesday.
Mullican ran against Griebel for the Kalifornsky seat in 2025 and is a former mayor and commissioner of Elk City, Oklahoma. Phillips is a longtime speech-language pathologist for the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District.
Hibbert received a majority of votes after the first round of voting.
Assembly Vice President Kelly Cooper voted for Hibbert. She says she favors appointing someone who can work effectively during the short time before the election.
“My decision is based on us appointing someone that will be able to step right in and participate, already have all the information that they need on how the assembly works, and then our voters can vote and give the other candidates an opportunity to run for election in their district,” she said.
Assembly members still need to appoint someone to the group’s central seat. That one became vacant when Michael Hicks resigned last month to move out of state. Applications for the central seat vacancy closed this evening.
