Ruffridge picked to fill open Soldotna council seat

Ruffridge picked to fill open Soldotna council seat

Soldotna City Council welcomed Justin Ruffridge to the dais Wednesday night.

After the resignation of Keith Baxter in March, two candidates submitted applications for Seat F. At Wednesday night’s meeting the council interviewed Jordan Chilson and Ruffridge, before unanimously voting for Ruffridge to serve a partial term.

“I’d like to say thank you for voting me in today, I would ask for some good teachers on the council to help me and steer me in the right direction on some things. This is relatively new to me and I love to learn,” Ruffridge said.

Ruffridge, who works as a pharmacist in town, will hold the seat until the regular elections on Oct. 14. He has been serving on the city’s planning and zoning commission for about five months, but will have to step down from that role now that he is on the council.

The interviews covered Soldotna-centric topics like annexation and the city’s natural resources, including trails and the Kenai River.

“Annexation is a pressing issue moving forward and I think the views on that are varied,” Ruffridge said. “I think there is a lot of communication and consultation that need to be invovled in that. … I also think our downtown space is a priority for me. As someone who walks the city and takes my child to the parks, having an area that is concentrated and collected would be really, really important to look at moving forward. Lastly, I think our natural resources that we have here … we have been blessed with such a beautiful place to live and I think it is our responsibility as members of this community to protect it, and to enhance it in any way if we can.”

Ruffridge said he is looking forward to serving on the council.

“I’m grateful for this opportunity,” he said. “I believe it’s important for people to take responsibility in their community and I’m excited to take that responsibility. It’s going to be a learning experience, but it will be a good learning process.”

Seat F will be on the ballot again this October, as will Seat C according to Vice Mayor Linda Murphy.

“It’s really nice to see two young people wanting to sit on the council, and there will be this seat open in October because I don’t plan to run again,” Murphy said before the final votes were tallied. “Whoever doesn’t make it should seriously consider filing for this seat.”

Reach Kat Sorensen at kat.sorensen@peninsulaclarion.com.

More in News

Kenai Middle School Principal Vaughn Dosko points out elements of a redesign plan for the front of the school on Wednesday, Sept. 21, 2022, in Kenai, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)
Work soon to begin on Kenai Middle security upgrades

The security upgrades are among several key KPBSD maintenance projects included in a bond approved by borough voters in October 2022.

The Kenai Fire Department headquarters are photographed on Feb. 13, 2018, in Kenai, Alaska. (Peninsula Clarion file)
Kenai adds funds, authorizes contract for study of emergency services facility

The building shared by Kenai’s police and fire departments hasn’t kept up with the needs of both departments, chief says.

Kenai Parks and Recreation Director Tyler Best shows off a new inclusive seesaw at Kenai Municipal Park in Kenai, Alaska, on Thursday, June 27, 2024. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Kenai awards contract to develop Parks and Rec master plan

The document is expected to guide the next 20 years of outdoors and recreation development in the city.

Balancing Act’s homepage for the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District’s Fiscal Year 2026 Budget. (Screenshot)
KPBSD launches ‘Balancing Act’ software, calls for public to balance $17 million deficit

The district and other education advocates have said that the base student allocation has failed to keep up with inflation.

Natural gas processing equipment is seen at Furie Operating Alaska’s central processing facility in Nikiski, Alaska, on Wednesday, July 10, 2024. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Harvest Alaska announces proposed redevelopment of Kenai LNG terminal

The project could deliver additional natural gas supplies to the Southcentral market as early as 2026, developers said.

A depth marker is almost entirely subsumed by the waters of the Kenai River in Soldotna, Alaska, on Tuesday, Sept. 12, 2023. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
After delay, borough adopts updated flood insurance maps

The assembly had previously postponed the legislation amid outcry from the Kenai River Keys Property Owners Association.

Kenai Peninsula Borough Mayor Peter Micciche points to where the disconnected baler ram has bent piping at the Central Peninsula Landfill in Soldotna, Alaska, on Thursday, Jan. 16, 2025. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Borough approves federal request to fund recycling redesign

A large baler that was used for recycling was recently left inoperable by a catastrophic failure in its main ram.

A person is detained in Anchorage in recent days by officials from the FBI and U.S. Department of Homeland Security. (FBI Anchorage Field Office photo)
Trump’s immigration raids arrive in Alaska, while Coast Guard in state help deportations at southern US border

Anchorage arrests touted by FBI, DEA; Coast Guard plane from Kodiak part of “alien expulsion flight operations.”

Jamiann S’eiltin Hasselquist asks participants to kneel as a gesture to “stay grounded in the community” during a protest in front of the Alaska State Capitol on Wednesday focused on President Donald Trump’s actions since the beginning of his second term. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)
Trump protest rally at Alaska State Capitol targets Nazi-like salutes, challenges to Native rights

More than 120 people show up as part of nationwide protest to actions during onset of Trump’s second term.

Most Read