Homer recall fails in final count

By vote margins of 223 or more, an attempted recall failed for Homer City Council members Donna Aderhold, David Lewis and Catriona Reynolds. In final results tallied today by the Special Election Canvass Board, the “no” votes increased their margins of victory to triple digits over Tuesday’s voting. All three council members will keep their seats.

With 849 more votes counted Friday on top of 1,087 votes cast on June 13, and with a 42 percent voter turnout, the final results show the “no” votes for Donna Aderhold and David Lewis at 57 percent, and the “no” votes for Catriona Reynolds at 56 percent.

“I was hoping that the ‘no’ vote would be decisive,” Reynolds said. “It feels like a pretty clear message about how the community feels about the recall.”

In between getting hugs from people visiting her, Aderhold said in a phone interview she was glad the three-month long recall process was over.

“It feels good. I’m glad that the community understands that there was no misconduct in office,” she said. “I will be very happy to get back to work on the council.”

In a statement released before final results came in, Sarah Vance, a spokesperson for Heartbeat of Homer, the group that organized to recall the council members, congratulated “everyone for speaking up at the ballot box on this important issue.” She also said Heartbeat of Homer extends a hand to the council members, commending them for their volunteer efforts and commitment to the community. Vance saw the recall election as a win.

“Every time we take a stand to hold our leaders accountable, take responsibility for our own actions, and defend truth, we win!” she said. “Thank you to everyone who participated in this tumultuous recall; your efforts have not gone unnoticed.”

Lewis, a three-term council member whose term ends in October, was less optimistic.

“I just hope the whole thing is over, period, but I doubt it,” Lewis said.

He mentioned a motion filed by Heartbeat of Homer to recover its legal costs as an intervenor in Aderhold et al. v. City of Homer, the lawsuit the targeted council members filed to stop the election. With the assistance of the American Civil Liberties Union Alaska, the three alleged the grounds of the recall violated their freedom of speech. Judge Erin Marston last month denied their motion to stop the election.

On Wednesday, Eric Sanders, an attorney hired by the city to defend the city clerk’s decision to allow the recall election, released a statement saying the city and the plaintiffs agreed to dismiss the lawsuit in return for not filing an appeal and the city not pressing for legal costs.

On Friday afternoon as the canvass board methodically reviewed and tallied ballots, about a dozen people watched over the afternoon, many of them with Heartbeat of Homer. The process had a bit of the drama of waiting for the College of Cardinals to announce a new Pope. No white smoke puffs announced the results, just City Clerk Melissa Jacobsen sitting at a table.

Counting of the absentee and other outstanding ballots got delayed when the city clerk’s office discovered an 18-vote discrepancy between the number of people voting on Tuesday and the number of ballots counted. City Clerk Melissa Jacobsen advised the canvass board to do a recount of ballots cast in Homer Precincts 1 and 2 on June 13. At one point it looked like the final counting might have to continue into Saturday, but the board finished its count about 4:40 p.m. after starting at 1 p.m.

Aderhold said she hoped the city could begin to heal from the divisive election.

“I have some healing to do myself. I do hope we can come back together.There’s been a lot of hurtful things said in this community. I didn’t think the city of Homer was like that,” she said. “To say ugly things isn’t the community I thought we were. That’s part of what we need to come to terms with, is the words people used toward each other.”

In a special meeting at 4 p.m. Monday, June 19, the city council meets to certify the election. The city attorney will be present to advise the council on potential conflicts of interest regarding the three targeted council members.

Michael Armstrong can be reached at michael.armstrong@homernews.com.

More in News

Gov. Mike Dunleavy (R-Alaska) speaks to reporters about his decision to veto an education funding bill at the Alaska State Capitol on Thursday, April 17, 2025. (Jasz Garrett / Juneau Empire)
Dunleavy’s veto of education funding bill puts pressure on lawmakers during final month of session

Governor also previews new bill with $560 BSA increase, plus additional funds for policy initiatives.

Brent Johnson speaks during a meeting of the Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly in Soldotna, Alaska, on Tuesday, April 1, 2025. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Assembly kills resolution asking for option to cap property assessment increases

Alaska municipalities are required by state statute to assess all properties at their full and true value.

City of Kenai Public Works Director Scott Curtain; City of Kenai Mayor Brian Gabriel; Kenai Peninsula Borough Mayor Peter Micciche; Sen. Lisa Murkowski; Col. Jeffrey Palazzini; Elaina Spraker; Adam Trombley; and Kenai City Manager Terry Eubank cut the ribbon to celebrate the start of work on the Kenai River Bluff Stabilization Project in Kenai, Alaska, on Monday, June 10, 2024. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Kenai bluff stabilization info meeting rescheduled for April 30

Originally, the event was scheduled for the same time as the Caring for the Kenai final presentations.

Project stakeholders cut a ribbon at the Nikiski Shelter of Hope on Friday, May 20, 2022, in Nikiski, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)
Peninsula organizations awarded mental health trust grants

Three organizations, in Seldovia, Seward and Soldotna, recently received funding from the Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority.

Chickens are seen inside of a chicken house at Diamond M Ranch on Thursday, April 1, 2021, off Kalifornsky Beach Road near Kenai, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)
Soldotna council hears call to lessen chicken restrictions

The Soldotna City Council this month heard from people calling for a… Continue reading

Mount Spurr, raised to Advisory on the Volcano Alert Level, can be seen in yellow northwest of the Kenai Peninsula. (Map courtesy Alaska Volcano Observatory/U.S. Department of the Interior)
Spurr activity ‘declined slightly’

If an eruption were to occur, there would be noticeable indicators that may provide days to weeks of additional warning.

Kenai Peninsula Borough Mayor Peter Micciche delivers a borough update to the joint Kenai and Soldotna Chambers of Commerce in Kenai, Alaska, on Wednesday, April 16, 2025. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Micciche pushes mill rate decrease, presses state to boost education funding

Borough Mayor Peter Micciche delivered an update to the joint Kenai and Soldotna Chambers of Commerce on Wednesday.

Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion
SPITwSPOTS employees speak to an attendee of the Kenai Peninsula Job and Career Fair in Kenai on Wednesday.
Job fair gathers together employers, job seekers

“That face-to-face has kind of been missing for a lot of people.”

A poster in the Native and Rural Student Center at the University of Alaska Southeast reads “Alaska is diverse, and so are our educators.” (Jasz Garrett / Juneau Empire)
University of Alaska holds virtual town hall to address fear and stress in changing federal landscape

Students, faculty and staff ask about protecting international students, Alaska Native programs.

Most Read