The Soldotna City Council voted Wednesday — for a fourth time — to recommend that council member Linda Farnsworth-Hutchings fill the city’s vacancy on the Kenai Peninsula Borough Planning Commission. That commission, responsible generally for the “systematic development and betterment” of the borough, also has authority to reject or approve plots of borough land.
Under updates to the planning commission appointment process, which were approved by the Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly late last year, each of the borough’s first-class and home-rule cities have designated seats on the body in addition to single-member for the rest of the borough.
The City of Soldotna’s seat became vacant last summer and kicked off an ongoing, monthslong back-and-forth between the city and Kenai Peninsula Borough Mayor Charlie Pierce that culminated in the changes approved in December.
The council first recommended Farnsworth-Hutchings, who ran against Pierce in the 2017 and 2020 borough mayoral races, for the vacancy last June after she was the only candidate to apply. Pierce pushed back, saying that one name does not constitute a “list of recommendations” as required by state statute. He also suggested the low response was because of inadequate advertising by the city.
Under the changes approved in December, the borough was given the authority to advertise for city vacancies. After the borough advertised for the City of Soldotna’s vacancy, four applications were submitted, according to records obtained by the Clarion, including from Farnsworth-Hutchings. Other applicants included Soldotna Mayor Paul Whitney, Marvin St. Clair and Charlene Tautfest.
Tautfest was included in the “list” of recommendations approved by the Soldotna City Council on Wednesday. Now, both Tautfest and Farnsworth-Hutchings’ applications will be sent to Pierce for review. Pierce’s pick will be subject to approval by the assembly.
Pierce wrote in a letter to Whitney last year that he would “not be appointing” Farnsworth-Hutchings to the commission after the council recommended her for a second time and threatened to give Soldotna’s seat to Seldovia if a list of more than one candidate was not forwarded. He accused the city of not seriously considering other applicants and has maintained it is ultimately his prerogative to decide who is appointed.
As of Feb. 10, three seats on the commission were vacant and an additional three had recently been filled. In addition to the City of Soldotna’s seat, the City of Seward’s seat and the City of Seldovia’s seat were vacant.
Wednesday’s meeting of the Soldotna City Council can be streamed on the city’s website at soldotna.org.
Reach reporter Ashlyn O’Hara at ashlyn.ohara@peninsulaclarion.com.
