Kenai Peninsula Borough residents have one more week to file to run for local office ahead of the Oct. 7 municipal election.
The candidate filing period opened last week and closes next Friday at 4:30 p.m. This year, seats are open on the Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly, the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District Board of Education and city councils.
There’s a higher-than-normal number of seats open on borough assembly this year. Five of the nine seats will be on the ballot.
Up as part of the normal cycle are the District 3 - Nikiski seat held by Peter Ribbens, the District 4 - Soldotna seat held by Tyson Cox and the District 7 - Central seat held by Brent Johnson. Johnson and Cox are being term limited out. Ribbens told KDLL on Friday he won’t seek reelection.
The assembly’s District 1 - Kalifornsky seat, held by James Baisden, and District 5 - Sterling/Funny River seat, held by Leslie Morton, will also be on the ballot.
Baisden resigned earlier this year, effective after the election. Whoever is elected to that seat will finish the remainder of Baisden’s term, through 2027.
The seat held by Morton is also open for a partial term.
The assembly appointed Morton after former assembly member Bill Elam was elected to the Alaska Legislature last year. Morton’s appointment lasts until the next election. She’s already filed to serve the remainder of Elam’s term, through next year, and faces a challenge from Dale Eicher. The two candidates are the only people who’ve filed to run for borough assembly so far.
There are also three seats open on the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District Board of Education: the District 1 - Kalifornsky seat held by Patti Truesdell, the District 6 - East Peninsula seat held by Virginia Morgan and the District 9 - South Peninsula seat held by Zen Kelly. Kelly announced earlier this week he won’t seek reelection.
Truesdell and Homer’s Ash-Lee Waddell have registered as school board candidates with the Alaska Public Offices Commission, but had not yet filed with the Kenai Peninsula Borough as of Friday.
Seats are also open on the Kenai and Soldotna city councils. Council members in both cities serve three-year terms.
In Kenai, Vice Mayor Henry Knackstedt is running to replace Brian Gabriel as mayor and incumbent council member Victoria Askin is running for reelection.
In Soldotna, incumbent candidates Dave Carey and Lisa Parker are running unopposed for reelection to their respective council seats.
Election day is Oct. 7. The voter registration deadline is Sept. 7. Voters can check their registration status on the Alaska Division of Elections website.
