Voters around the Kenai Peninsula will head to the polls Tuesday to cast ballots in races for city council, Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly, the local school board and several other local seats.
In Kenai, four candidates are vying for two open seats on the city council. Incumbents Henry Knackstedt and Teea Winger are running to keep their seats alongside Glenese Pettey and Phil Daniel. The two successful candidates will each serve three-year terms on the council.
In Soldotna, Mayor Paul Whitney is running unopposed for reelection. Sitting council member Chera Wackler is running unopposed for election to the council’s Seat F, to which she was appointed in January. Council member Dan Nelson is running against challenger Garrett Dominick for election to Seat B on the council.
In Homer, incumbent candidates Caroline Venuti and Rachel Lord are running for reelection to the council against challengers Joni Wise and Daniel Hasche. Successful candidates will serve three-year terms.
In Seward, there are also two open seats on the city council. Incumbent candidate Robert Barnwell is running alongside Julie Crites and Brad Snowden. Successful candidates will each serve a three-year term.
Seward voters will also decide the fate of the city’s electric utility when they vote on whether or not to sell Seward Electric to Homer Electric Association. A proposal authorizing the same sale failed during a special election held in May by seven votes. Also on Seward’s ballot will be the question of whether or not the voter threshold required for a city utility sale from three-fifths to a simple majority.
Voters will also pick candidates for seats on Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly and on the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District Board of Education.
On the assembly, voters in the borough’s Kenai, Nikiski, Homer and Sterling districts will cast votes for a representative.
In Kenai, incumbent member Richard Derkevorkian is not seeking reelection; Ryan Tunseth is running unopposed for election to the seat. In Sterling, incumbent Bill Elam is running for reelection against Nissa Savage. In Homer, candidates Kelly Cooper and Heath Smith are running to replace Lane Chesley, who is not seeking reelection.
For the assembly’s Nikiski seat, sitting member Peter Ribbens is running against challenger Adam Bertoldo.
Candidates elected to the assembly’s Kenai, Homer and Sterling seats will serve a three-year term. The successful Nikiski candidate will serve a two-year term. That’s because they’ll be finishing out the term of Jesse Bjorkman, who was elected to the Alaska Senate last fall.
On the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District Board of Education, there are also four seats open.
In Soldotna, incumbent board member Penny Vadla is running unopposed for reelection. In Nikiski, incumbent Jason Tauriainen faces challenger Lyndsey Bertoldo. In the central district, incumbent Debbie Cary is running against Dianne MacRae. In Sterling, Beverley Romanin is running against Kelley Cizek.
Terms for the school board’s Soldotna, Nikiski and central seats will last three years. The successful Sterling candidate will serve for one year, as they will finish out the term of Jessica Waller, who was elected to the board in 2021 and resigned her seat last year.
Other seats are open on service area board’s around the borough. All but one of those seats have contested races.
Per the Kenai Peninsula Borough’s election calendar, certification of the results from Tuesday’s election is scheduled for the Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly’s Oct. 10 meeting. Each city will separately certify the results of their own elections.
Polling locations will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. The Kenai Peninsula Borough’s Cooper Landing, Fox River, Hope, Moose Pass, Seldovia/Kachemak Bay and Tyonek precincts are by-mail precincts and will not have a regular polling place open on election day. Voters in those districts are mailed a ballot prior to election day.
More information about the Oct. 3 municipal election can be found on the borough’s website kpb.us/assembly-clerk/elections/election-seats.
Reach reporter Ashlyn O’Hara at ashlyn.ohara@peninsulaclarion.com.
Precinct number Precinct Name Polling place name Polling place address City
07-005 Central Soldotna Sports Center 538 Arena Ave Soldotna
07-010 K Beach Soldotna Sports Center 538 Arena Ave Soldotna
07-015 Kenai No. 1 Kenai Mall 11312 Kenai Spur Highway Kenai
07-020 Kenai No. 2 Challenger Learning Center 9711 Kenai Spur Highway Kenai
07-025 Kenai No. 3 Kenai Mall 11312 Kenai Spur Highway Kenai
07-030 Soldotna Soldotna Public Library 235 N Binkley St. Soldotna
08-035 Bear Creek Bear Creek Fire Station Mile 5 Seward Highway Seward
08-045 Funny River No. 1 Funny River Community Center 35850 Pioneer Access Soldotna
08-050 Funny River No. 2 Soldotna Prep School 426 W Redoubt Ave Soldotna
08-060 Mackey Lake Soldotna Prep School 426 W Redoubt Ave Soldotna
08-070 Nikiski Nikiski Community Rec Center 50097 Kenai Spur Highway Nikiski
08-075 Salamatof Nikiski Community Rec Center 50097 Kenai Spur Highway Nikiski
08-080 Sterling No. 1 Sterling Community Center 38377 Swanson River Road Sterling
08-085 Sterling No. 2 Sterling Community Center 38377 Swanson River Road Sterling
More information about the Oct. 3 municipal election can be found on the borough’s website kpb.us/assembly-clerk/elections/election-seats.
Reach reporter Ashlyn O’Hara at ashlyn.ohara@peninsulaclarion.com.
