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.
