Many races for the Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly, the local school board and service area boards are uncontested after the candidate filing period for the October election ended on Monday.

The election for both the borough and peninsula municipalities is on Oct. 6.

In the city of Kenai elections, three candidates are running for two open city council seats: current city council members Tim Navarre and Henry Knackstedt and political newcomer Teea Winger. Navarre has served on the city council since 2011. Knackstead has been on the city council for six years. Winger currently serves on the Kenai Parks and Rec Committee. The two candidates with the most votes in the election will fill the two seats.

In the city of Soldotna elections, all of the races are uncontested. Paul Whitney, who currently serves on the Soldotna City Council, is the only candidate for the Soldotna’s mayor seat. Running uncontested for Seat B is current city council member Pamela Parker, and the sole candidate for Seat F is Justin Ruffridge, also a current city council member.

In the city of Seward elections, the city council seats currently held by Sue McClure and Julie Crites are up for election. The candidates in this race are incumbent Sue McClure, Liz Demoss, Sean Corrigan and Selma Casagranda. The two candidates with the most votes will fill the two seats. Voters are allowed to vote for up two of the candidates.

In the city of Homer election, Mayor Ken Castner is running for a second term against challenger and current Homer City Council member Donna Aderhold. Two council seats also are up for election, with incumbents Rachel Lord and Caroline Venuti running for reelection against newcomers George Hall and Raymond Walker. For those positions, the two candidates with the most votes win the election and candidates do not run for specific seats.

Hall is a recent Homer arrival, having first visited in 2015, while Walker is a 30-year resident. Both are new to the Homer political scene, although Walker has family connections to politics. His daughter is Rep. Sarah Vance (R-Homer) and his wife, Coletta, was active in the failed recall attempt that targeted Aderhold and former council members David Lewis and Catriona Reynolds.

The race for borough mayor brings a repeat of the 2017 election with Linda Farnsworth Hutchings again challenging incumbent Mayor Charlie Pierce. Farnsworth Hutchings lost in a runoff by just 45 votes. Also running in the race is political newcomer Troy Nightingale.

Two propositions also are on the ballot: Proposition 1, creating a Western Service Area that will create a new emergency services area by adding the Ninilchik area to the Anchor Point emergency services area.

Proposition 2 asks if Ordinance 2020-24 should be repealed. The ordinance created a hybrid in-person and vote-by-mail system. Mayor Charlie Pierce vetoed that ordinance, but the assembly overrode his veto. In-person voting would still happen, but every registered borough voter would automatically receive a mail-in ballot as well. A citizen initiative collected enough signatures to place the question on the ballot.

In borough assembly elections, the only race in contention is for the Kenai District 2 seat. Incumbent assembly member Harold “Hal” Smalley is opposed by Richard Derkevorkian and James “Jim” Duffield. Both are political newcomers who identify themselves as fiscal conservatives.

In the other two assembly contests, for District 5, Sterling/Funny River, Bill Elam of Soldotna is the lone candidate for the seat currently held by Norm Blakeley. A network administrator for Central Peninsula Hospital, Elam calls himself a fiscal and social conservative who believes in protecting family values.

For the District 8 seat currently held by Assembly President Kelly Cooper, Lane Chesley of Homer also is unopposed. Chesley is a former Homer City Council member. Paul Hueper of Homer had declared his candidacy to run for that assembly seat with the Alaska Public Offices Commission in February, but he is not listed as a candidate.

One seat on the school board, District 6 for the East Peninsula, is contested with Kate Hamilton and Virginia Morgan running.

Of service area boards, two board seats in Nikiski are a contest. For Seat E on the Nikiski Fire Service Area Board, Dil E. Uhlin Jr. and Daniel L. Gregory are both running. There also is a contest for both seats on the Nikiski Senior Service Area Board. For Seat D, Patrick Clark and Jonathan Becker are running. For Seat E, Lois Solmonson, John Walker and Erich Deland are running.

Candidate and proposition statements can be found on the assembly clerk’s page at https://www.kpb.us/assembly-clerk/elections/election-seats. That page also has a link for information on early and absentee voting options. Separate from state elections, to vote absentee voters have to apply through the borough.

Links to candidate statements and information for the city of Homer are at https://www.cityofhomer-ak.gov/cityclerk/2020-city-homer-candidates.

Kenai Peninsula Borough

Borough mayor (3-year term)

Linda Farnsworth Hutchings

Charlie Pierce

Troy Nightingale

Borough Assembly (3-year terms)

District 2 – Kenai

Harold “Hal” Smalley

Richard Derkevorkian

James “Jim” Duffield

District 5 – Sterling / Funny River

Bill Elam

District 8 – Homer

Lane Allen Chesley

Board of Education

District 3 – Nikiski (3-year term)

Jason A. Tauriainen

District 4 – Soldotna (3-year term)

Penny Vadla

District 6 – East Peninsula (2-year term)

Katie Hamilton

Morgan, Virginia

District 7 – Central (3-year term)

Debbie Cary

Service Areas Board Seats

Bear Creek Fire Service Area Board

Seat E (3-year)

Jena Petersen

Joint Operations Board for Central Peninsula Emergency Medical Service Area & Central Emergency Service Area

Seat E (3-year)

Gary Hale

Nikiski Fire Service Area Board

Seat D (3-year)

Jasper Covey

Seat E (3-year)

Dil E. Uhlin Jr.

Daniel L. Gregory

Nikiski Senior Service Area Board

Seat D (3-year)

Patrick Clark

Jonathan Becker

Seat E (3-year)

Lois Solmonson

John Walker

Erich Deland

North Peninsula Recreation Service Area Board

Seat E (3-year)

Stacy A. Oliva

Seward-Bear Creek Flood Service Area Board

Seat A (3-year)

No candidates filed; seat will be filed by mayoral appointment and assembly confirmation

Seat D (3-year)

Dwayne Atwood

South Kenai Peninsula Hospital Service Area Board

Seat D (3-year)

Roberta Highland

Seat E (3-year)

Judith C. Lund

Seat F (3-year)

Marie Walli

Seat G (2-year)

Tim Daugharty

Propositions

Proposition No. 1 – Western Emergency Service Area

Shall the Kenai Peninsula Borough be authorized to exercise powers to provide fire protection

and emergency medical services through the expansion of the Anchor Point Fire and Emergency

Medical Service Area to include the Ninilchik area as defined by Section 2 of Ordinance 2020-31?

Proposition No. 2 – Repeal of Ordinance 2020-24

Shall Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly Ordinance 2020-24 “An Ordinance Amending KPB Title

4 Regarding Borough Election to Provide for Vote by Mail Elections, For More Time Between a

Regular Election and Run-Off Election, and to Remove Proposition Statements” be repealed?

City of Kenai

Candidates for City Council

(Two, 3-year seats; top two vote getters are elected)

Tim Navarre

Henry Knackstead

Teea Winger

City of Soldotna

Candidate for Mayor (3-year)

Paul Whitney

Candidates for City Council

Seat B (3-year)

Pamela Parker

Seat F (3-year)

Justin Ruffridge

City of Seward

Candidates for City Council

(Two, 3-year seats; top two vote getters are elected)

Sue McClure

Liz Demoss

Sean Corrigan

Selma Casagranda

City of Homer

Candidates for Mayor

Donna Robertson Aderhold

Ken Castner

Candidates for City Council

(Two, 3-year seats; top two vote getters are elected)

Rachel Lord

George Hall

Caroline Venuti

Raymond Walker

Brian Mazurek contributed to this report.