The filing period has closed for borough assembly and school board candidates in this October’s municipal election.
Seats for Assembly Districts 3, 4, and 7 are available for three-year terms, representing, Nikiski, Soldotna, and the Central Area, south of Soldotna.
None of the incumbents, President Wayne Ogle, Vice-President Dale Bagley, and long-time Assemblyman Paul Fischer, are on the ballot.
The most candidates were attracted to the Nikiski seat, where Jesse Bjorkman, Jonathan Quick and Joseph Ross are facing off.
Bjorkman is a teacher at Nikiski Middle/High School and a commercial fisherman. Quick briefly worked for Mayor Charlie Pierce before working an equally brief time for Governor Mike Dunleavy before irregularities on his resume came to light. His occupation is listed as entrepreneur. Ross is the owner of Alaska Roadrunners, a gravel and topsoil business he started in 1993 in Nikiski. He is also a commercial fisherman and served on the local road service area board.
The seat serving Soldotna has attracted two hopefuls. Tyson Cox, a current Soldotna city councilman and property manager, and Rose Henry, a pharmacist who has worked at the local Walmart, Soldotna Safeway, and Fred Meyers.
For the Central District seat, former two-term Assemblyman Brent Johnson is seeking to return. He is a commercial setnet fisherman and an author and poet. Holly Odd is a retired flight attendant, who says her excellent listening and problem-solving skills are what’s needed on the assembly.
On the school board, there are three seats available, representing District 1, Kalifornsky; District 6, the East Peninsula; and District 9, the South Peninsula. All are for three-year terms.
For the Kalifornsky seat, two-term incumbent Dan Castimore is seeking re-election. He will face challengers Susan Lockwood, a retired school teacher worried students aren’t learning enough about our Founding Fathers, and Patricia Truesdell, also a teacher, though she retired with the last school year. She said she promised her students she would run to work for their interests.
In the East Peninsula seat, another retired teacher, Martha Fleming, is the only candidate. She was a teacher and counselor at Seward High School for 26 years.
For the South Peninsula seat, only incumbent John Kelly is running.