Photo by Brian Mazurek/Peninsula Clarion                                 Linda Farnsworth Hutchings, left, and Kenai Peninsula Borough Mayor Charlie Pierce, right, participate in a mayoral candidate forum hosted by the Kenai Chamber of Commerce at the Kenai Visitor and Cultural Center on Sept. 9

Photo by Brian Mazurek/Peninsula Clarion Linda Farnsworth Hutchings, left, and Kenai Peninsula Borough Mayor Charlie Pierce, right, participate in a mayoral candidate forum hosted by the Kenai Chamber of Commerce at the Kenai Visitor and Cultural Center on Sept. 9

Farnsworth-Hutchings emphasizes team work

The race for Kenai Peninsula Borough Mayor

In the upcoming municipal elections, three candidates are running for the seat of Kenai Peninsula Borough Mayor: incumbent Mayor Charlie Pierce, Linda Farnsworth-Hutchings and Tony Nightingale. Pierce and Farnsworth-Hutchings spoke with the Clarion about their campaigns ahead of Election Day. Farnsworth-Hutchings was interviewed on Sept. 17, while Pierce was interviewed on Sept. 25. Both interviews have been edited for length and clarity. Nightingale did not respond to multiple interview requests as of press time.

Why are you running for borough mayor?

Farnsworth-Hutchings: “The same reason I ran the last time. I feel that this borough really needs good, strong financial responsibility and our current borough mayor isn’t doing that.”

Farnsworth-Hutchings specifically criticized her opponent’s financial policies, including the FY 2021 budget, which she said shows that Pierce is proposing raising property taxes by 23% and that the fund balance is down 72% because of mismanagement.

ADVERTISEMENT
0 seconds of 0 secondsVolume 0%
Press shift question mark to access a list of keyboard shortcuts
00:00
00:00
00:00
 

“It isn’t how you run a borough. You talk to your taxpayers to work collaboratively with your assembly and your department heads and your service areas. And that is not happening.”

How would you describe your leadership style?

Farnsworth-Hutchings: “I would describe my leadership style as collaborative.”

Farnsworth-Hutchings said her experience working in HR gave her experience working with many employees in different departments, and that working with others is the only way to solve problems.

“It’s collaboration. It’s having your meetings every week and having them realize that there’s not a closed door between you and them.”

What policy issues do you feel strongest about?

Farnsworth-Hutchings: “Collaboration. I really firmly believe that you cannot have a good working borough without collaboration between your assembly, your city managers, all of your communities and your employees. I have sat many times with people that I didn’t necessarily agree with, but they brought something to the table and that was worthwhile.”

Are there specific areas where you think collaboration has fallen through?

Farnsworth-Hutchings: “At the [Chamber of Commerce] forum the other day, and Charlie … said, ‘I am your voice. You need to vote me in, I’m your voice.’ And I had to correct him. I said, ‘No, you’re one of 10 voices.’ There are nine assembly people on there that have been voted in by their constituents. So it’s a collaborative voice.”

How would you navigate the borough’s diverse communities that all have their own priorities?

Farnsworth-Hutchings: Farnsworth-Hutchings said that though the communities are diverse, they still “can work together.”

“To malign the people that take care of different areas that are so diverse and still manage to keep a level ship is concerning to me. Your borough mayor should not be maligning city managers, he should be working with them,” Farnsworth-Hutchings said.

How do you think the borough has handled the pandemic so far?

Farnsworth-Hutchings: “It’s an unknown and we all know that.”

Farnsworth-Hutchings praised the work of borough administration over the last few months.

“They are all working so hard and getting the information out there — I don’t know that they could be working much harder.”

Is there anything you think the borough should specifically address or change related to COVID heading into the fall and winter months?

Farnsworth-Hutchings: Farnsworth-Hutchings said that on the peninsula, a shared love for outdoor activities means that people are going to be outside regardless of what season it is.

“I think in our area it’s not going to be quite as detrimental … it’s an unknown,” Farnsworth-Hutchings said.

Last year there was a ballot measure to raise the borough’s sales tax cap that was rejected by voters. Would you support that measure if it were put on the ballot again next year?

Farnsworth-Hutchings: “The thing about that sales tax is everybody pays it, whether they’re coming from Anchorage or out of state or Fairbanks. The other thing, it’s designated for education only. And that was something that our first borough mayor, he said, ‘you’re going to fight for school funding every year if you don’t have a dedicated fund.’ So they put in sales tax, and it is only earmarked for education.”

Is there anything else you’d like to talk about?

Farnsworth-Hutchings: “I do want to touch again on education, because I know how important it is. I know I got a very good education in the school district; I know my children did, as did my grandchildren. It’s our job to do that for them. It’s our turn to step up and make sure they have the same opportunities that we did.”

In addition to her interest in public education, Farnsworth-Hutchings said that her background as an accountant makes her uniquely qualified for the position of borough mayor.

“I have worked budgets for years and years and years and just because I’m not the person that will get out there and scream and yell at them, I am still very firm and very secure and very solid in my accounting abilities. And I have not seen that demonstrated by Mr. Pierce.”

More in News

President Zen Kelly speaks during a meeting of the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District Board of Education in Soldotna, Alaska, on Monday, July 7, 2025. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
School board finalizes budget with deep cuts to programming, classrooms

Multiple members of the board said they were frustrated by the state’s failure to fund education.

Former KPBSD Finance Director Liz Hayes speaks during a Kenai Peninsula Borough School District budget development meeting at Kenai Central High School in Kenai, Alaska, on Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2025. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
School district finance department earns national awards

The two awards are based on comprehensive reviews of the district’s budget and financial reporting.

Children leap forward to grab candy during a Fourth of July parade on South Willow Street in Kenai, Alaska, on July 4, 2025. (Photo courtesy Sarah Every)
Celebrating the 4th in the streets

Kenai comes out for annual Independence Day parade.

Fire crews respond to the Bruce Fire, July 4, 2025, in Soldotna, Alaska. (Alaska Division of Forestry)
Firefighting crews respond to wildfire outside Soldotna

The 8-acre fire and two “spot fires” of less than one acre each are located near Mile 102 and 103 of the Sterling Highway.

Robert Weaver was last seen at the Doroshin Bay public use cabin on June 25, 2025. (Photo provided by the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge)
Updated: Refuge ends search efforts for missing man

Robert Weaver was last seen near Skilak Lake on June 25.

The Alaska Dive Search Rescue and Recovery Team conducts a training mission in Seward, Alaska in 2024. Photo courtesy of the Alaska Dive Search Rescue and Recovery Team
Anchor Point fundraiser to benefit Alaska rescue and recovery group

Alaska Dive Search Rescue and Recovery Team is an all-volunteer nonprofit organization established in 2016.

Kachemak Bay Family Planning Clinic staff (left to right) Angie Holland, RN; Jane Rohr, Sonja Martin Young, CNM; Robin Holmes, MD; and Cherie Bole, CMA provide an array of reproductive and sexual health services. (Photo provided by KBFPC)
Kachemak Bay Family Planning Clinic releases report on STI trends on the Kenai Peninsula

The report pulls from data gathered from 2024 to early 2025.

Pool manager and swim coach Will Hubler leads a treading water exercise at Kenai Central High School in Kenai, Alaska, on Tuesday, June 17, 2025. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Swimmers, parents call on Kenai to support Kenai Central pool

The KPBSD Board of Education last week said communities will need to step up and take over administration of pools within the next year.

Most Read