The Kenai Peninsula Borough is now accepting applications for an upcoming vacancy on the borough assembly. The District 3 seat, which includes the communities of Nikiski and Tyonek, is currently held by Jesse Bjorkman, who last month was elected to represent the northern Kenai Peninsula in the Alaska Senate. His last assembly meeting will be Jan. 3.

Application materials for the vacancy, which must be filled by assembly appointment, went live Wednesday evening and will be accepted through Jan. 10. Interested candidates must have lived in District 3 for at least one year and must be registered to vote. Eligible applicants will be invited to an assembly committee meeting to field questions from assembly members.

Whoever is selected by the assembly to replace Bjorkman is scheduled to take their seat on the body in time for the Jan. 17 assembly meeting and will serve until the next regular borough election in October.

A special election for the seat cannot be held because Alaska Statute requires assembly vacancies to be filled by appointment. That’s according to Kenai Peninsula Borough Sean Kelley, who was asked about the appointment process during a Tuesday meeting of the assembly’s Policies and Procedures Committee.

It’s for that reason the borough cannot put the vacancy on the Feb. 14, 2023, special mayoral ballot.

People interested in applying for the District 3 assembly vacancy can file their declaration of candidacy electronically. That declaration does not need to be notarized in order to be valid, following an assembly vote Tuesday.

Application materials can be found on the Kenai Peninsula Borough’s “Meet the Assembly” webpage at kpb.us/assembly-clerk/meet-the-assembly.

Reach reporter Ashlyn O’Hara at ashlyn.ohara@peninsulaclarion.com.

CORRECTION: This story has been updated to correct the length of the term of Bjorkman’s successor.