The five new members of the Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly were officially sworn in last week, towards the end of the Oct. 14 meeting. The borough election results were also certified last Tuesday.
Last Tuesday marked the final regular meeting for the outgoing assembly members. The new members will take their seats at the next assembly meeting on Oct. 28.
Scott Griebel now represents District 1 for Kalifornsky. Len Niesen now holds the District 3 seat for Nikiski. Sergeant Truesdell represents District 4, Soldotna. Dale Eicher represents District 5 for Sterling and Funny River. Michael Hicks represents the central peninsula in District 7.
During the assembly comments portion of the meeting, assembly president Peter Ribbens passed out commemorative plaques to the outgoing assembly members, including Leslie Morton, James Baisden, Tyson Cox and Brent Johnson, for their service to the borough. Assembly vice president Kelly Cooper also presented a commemoration to Ribbens for his service.
“Thank you, all of the departing assembly members. I really appreciated working with you,” assembly member Willy Dunne, who represents District 9, said. “Thanks to all of the incoming assembly members — really looking forward to working together.”
Assembly member Ryan Tunseth, who represents Kenai, spoke similarly in his closing comments and offered specific farewell remarks to each of the outgoing members.
Baisden said that with five new members joining the assembly, he thought the borough would be “in great shape.” He also said that he enjoyed the relationships he built during his time on the assembly, and encouraged the new members to do the same.
“Just remember we’re all Alaskans, and it’s what we do for the community here that’s important,” he said.
Johnson said “it’s been a real honor” to serve the community that elected him to the assembly four times. He also highlighted his appreciation for borough staff and the various roles they play.
Morton said she had a “great time” serving on the assembly. She echoed Johnson’s remarks about borough employees and encouraged the incoming assembly members to get to know the staff.
The rest of the assembly also offered thanks and farewell remarks to both those staying and those departing.
Find the Oct. 14 KPB Assembly meeting recording and the 2025 official borough election results in full at kpb.legistar.com.
