Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly

Protesters concerned about limits on the power of Alaska grand juries spent two days this week advocating for their cause on the Kenai Peninsula and beyond. The Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly is asking the state legislature to hold hearings about the public concerns.

The borough's newest Advisory Planning Commission, based in Nikiski, is getting pushback from the Tyonek Native village and corporation on the other side of Cook Inlet, which say they don’t want to be a part of it.

After more than a decade of flat pay, the Kenai Peninsula Borough Mayor is getting a raise. However, it will be up to the assembly to review the mayor’s salary at the end of every term and decide whether to make adjustments for inflation.

Heidi Covey, William Hubler, Lenora Niesen and Peter Ribbens are all vying for the Borough Assembly seat left open by Republican State Sen. Elect Jesse Bjorkman. The assembly will select someone next Tuesday who will serve until the next election in October.

Before each election, every Kenai Peninsula Borough mailbox gets a hefty brochure with voting information. The assembly is considering a proposal to stop sending the packets to voters, citing high costs and lack of public interest.

An Anchor Point gravel pit has been the subject of conflict for years since the borough's planning commission denied it a permit years ago. Last week, a judge sided with the commission in an appeal decision.

The election of two local politicians to state office is leaving vacancies on both the Soldotna City Council and Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly.

After nine months of work, the borough assembly heard public comment this week on proposed revisions to the borough's material extraction site code and permitting process.

Voters in the Kenai Peninsula Borough will choose a new mayor in a special election this Valentine's Day. Several Kenai and Soldotna candidates are already thinking of running for the open seat, which they would fill through October 2023.

We spoke with two of the three candidates for Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly District 3 at a live candidate forum this week. This forum was the fifth in our candidate forum series in partnership with The Peninsula Clarion — and the final forum before municipal election day Oct. 4.