Election result leave plenty to talk about

  • Saturday, October 10, 2015 4:50pm
  • Opinion

Interpreting the will of the voters is always a tricky thing. Two people can vote the same way on an issue, yet do so for completely different reasons. Indeed, the reasons behind which bubbles get filled in on the ballot can be as varied as the number of voters themselves.

One thing that is fairly straightforward on the Kenai Peninsula is that residents here are reluctant to approve any new tax — and are generally eager to approve measures that reduce the tax burden. Fifty-nine percent of voters said yes to Proposition 1, which repealed the authority granted to general law cities to levy a sales tax on groceries from September through May, when they are exempted from borough sales tax.

Then again, borough residents do tend to recognize public safety as a priority; 58 percent of voters in the Central Emergency Service Area OK’d bonds — and a mill rate increase to repay them — for Central Emergency Services to replace aging emergency vehicles.

The results of Proposition 2, which asked voters to form a Nikiski Law Enforcement Area, certainly are open to interpretation as that measure also included a property tax levy to pay for it. There appears to have been significant community support for an increased police presence in Nikiski. Were voters casting ballots against the proposed service area itself, or simply rejecting the proposed tax increase? Last year’s advisory vote on limited animal control outside of incorporated cities comes to mind. That ballot proposition was broken into two parts, and voters narrowly approved of animal control while rejecting the property tax that would have paid for it.

The impact of this year’s election in Kenai also will be interesting to watch moving forward as city voters approved ballot measures to change the city charter regarding how city council members are elected. In the future, the city council will have designated seats, similar to Soldotna.

Interestingly, the top vote-getters on the city council ballot were both opposed to the measure.

And in Soldotna, city voters were overwhelmingly against the grocery tax measure, Proposition 1 — after rejecting a charter commission last winter that would have allowed the city to set its own tax policy, among other things.

There are still a few things to wrap up with this year’s election as canvass boards meet, absentee ballots are counted and the borough assembly and city councils certify results. Even in what might be termed an off year, Kenai Peninsula politics are always interesting, and the 2015 election will certainly fuel plenty of discussion in the weeks and months to come.

More in Opinion

President Donald Trump and President Vladimir Putin of Russia at a joint news conference in Helsinki, Finland, July 16, 2018. (Doug Mills/The New York Times file photo)
Opinion: Mistaking flattery for respect

Flattery played a role in Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill.

(Juneau Empire file photo)
Opinion: Life is harder when you outlive your support group

Long-time friends are more important than ever to help us cope, to remind us we are not alone and that others feel the same way.

Deven Mitchell is the executive director and chief executive officer of the Alaska Permanent Fund Corp. (Photo courtesy of the Alaska Permanent Fund Corp.)
Opinion: The key to a stronger fund: Diversification

Diversification is a means of stabilizing returns and mitigating risk.

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