Editorial: An important decision on Tuesday

  • By Peninsula Clarion Editorial
  • Sunday, October 22, 2017 10:43am
  • Opinion

Leading up to the Oct. 3 municipal election, we were impressed with the overall tenor of the campaigns for borough mayor, assembly, city council and city mayoral races. In general, discussion at candidate forums had good substance to it. The borough’s budget emerged as a top issue, and approaches to addressing a $4 million difference between revenue and expenditures defined candidates.

Unfortunately, as the race for borough mayor heads toward Tuesday’s run-off election, some of the rhetoric has turned negative. Charlie Pierce has accused his opponent, Linda Farnsworth Hutchings, of digging up a 2000 court case; Hutchings insists that comments about the case did not come from her or her campaign. For her part, Hutchings is dealing with insinuations of mismanagement of her family’s business, something she says couldn’t be further from the truth.

For better or for worse, we live in a small community where everybody knows — or thinks they know — everyone else’s business. And as longtime residents, both candidates have established relationships, good and bad, with many people in the community. Certainly, candidates for elected office should not be surprised by the scrutiny that comes with it.

When borough voters return to the polls on Tuesday to choose between Pierce and Hutchings, we hope they will make an informed decision when they cast their ballots, one based on what the candidates have actually done and said, and not the rumors, insinuations or innuendos that, with the advent of social media, seem to gain more traction than they should.

As we noted, the biggest issue in the election has been the borough’s budget. The candidates have outlined their approach to the issue; questionnaire answers they shared with the Clarion last month may be found here: http://peninsulaclarion.com/opinion/2017-09-26/qa-candidates-mayor-share-view-management-budget.

Voters should remember that not only will the next borough mayor need to address a budget gap and manage the borough’s 100 or so employees, he or she also will need to work with borough assembly members to get that done, and as we’ve seen recently, assembly members are not always on the same page as the borough mayor on many issues.

In the Oct. 3 municipal election, Pierce garnered approximately 38 percent of the vote to 32 percent for Hutchings. (Dale Bagley finished third with 29 percent of the vote.) Judging by many of the comments we heard from voters, the marijuana ballot measure was a major draw; it’s hard to predict whether those same voters will turn out for the run-off, or how those who cast a ballot for Bagley will vote on Tuesday.

We mention all that to make this point: in any election, every vote counts. The last time the borough mayor’s race went to a runoff in 2011, voter turnout was 23.4 percent, and just 525 votes separated the candidates.

The Kenai Peninsula has a big decision coming on Tuesday. Please, do your part in making it. Polls will be open from 7 a.m.-8 p.m.

More in Opinion

A silver salmon is weighed at Three Bears in Kenai, Alaska. Evelyn McCoy, customer service PIC at Three Bears, looks on. (Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion)
Opinion: Will coho salmon be the next to disappear in the Kenai River?

Did we not learn anything from the disappearance of the kings from the Kenai River?

Jonathan Flora is a lifelong commercial fisherman and dockworker from Homer, Alaska.
Point of View: Not fishing for favors — Alaskans need basic health care access

We ask our elected officials to oppose this bill that puts our health and livelihoods in danger.

Alex Koplin. (courtesy photo)
Opinion: Public schools do much more than just teach the three Rs

Isn’t it worth spending the money to provide a quality education for each student that enters our schools?

Gov. Mike Dunleavy speaks to reporters at the Alaska State Capitol on Thursday, April 17, 2025. (Jasz Garrett / Juneau Empire file photo)
Letter to the Editor: Law enforcement officers helped ensure smooth, secure energy conference

Their visible commitment to public safety allowed attendees to focus fully on collaboration, learning, and the important conversations shaping our path forward.

Laurie Craig / Juneau Empire file photo
The present-day KTOO public broadcasting building, built in 1959 for the U.S. Army’s Alaska Communications System Signal Corps, is located on filled tidelands near Juneau’s subport. Today vehicles on Egan Drive pass by the concrete structure with satellite dishes on the roof that receive signals from NPR, PBS and other sources.
My Turn: Stand for the community radio, not culture war optics

Alaskans are different and we pride ourselves on that. If my vehicle… Continue reading

U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) delivers his annual speech to the Alaska Legislature on Thursday, March 20, 2025. (Jasz Garrett / Juneau Empire file photo)
Opinion: Sullivan, Trump and the rule of lawlessness

In September 2023, U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan established his own Alaska Federal… Continue reading

UAA Provost Denise Runge photographed outside the Administration and Humanities Building at the University of Alaskas Anchorage. (courtesy photo)
Opinion: UAA’s College of Health — Empowering Alaska’s future, one nurse at a time

At the University of Alaska Anchorage, we understand the health of our… Continue reading

U.S. Rep. Nick Begich III, R-Alaska, address a joint session of the Alaska Legislature on Thursday, Feb. 20, 2025. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire file photo)
Opinion: A noncongressman for Alaska?

It’s right to ask whether Nick Begich is a noncongressman for Alaska.… Continue reading

Boats return to the Homer Harbor at the end of the fishing period for the 30th annual Winter King Salmon Tournament on Saturday, March 23, 2024 in Homer, Alaska. (Delcenia Cosman/Homer News)
Opinion: Funding sustainable fisheries

Spring is always a busy season for Alaska’s fishermen and fishing communities.… Continue reading

Gov. Mike Dunleavy holds a press conference on Monday, May 19, 2025, to discuss his decision to veto an education bill. (Jasz Garrett / Juneau Empire file photo)
Opinion: On fiscal policy, Dunleavy is a governor in name only

His fiscal credibility is so close to zero that lawmakers have no reason to take him seriously.

Sen. Jesse Bjorkman, R-Nikiski, speaks in support overriding Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s veto of House Bill 69 at the Alaska Capitol in Juneau, Alaska, on Tuesday, April 22, 2025. (Mark Sabbatini/Juneau Empire)
Capitol Corner: Finishing a session that will make a lasting impact

Sen. Jesse Bjorkman reports back from Juneau.