Nate Berga is the Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly’s new representative for the central district.
The assembly unanimously appointed him to the seat Tuesday. Berga will serve until the borough election in November, but he’s also the only person who’s filed to run for that seat. The assembly’s central district covers the western Kenai Peninsula from Kasilof to Nikolaevsk.
Berga replaces Michael Hicks, who resigned in July before moving out of state. During an interview with the assembly Tuesday, Berga said Hicks approached him about applying for the vacancy.
“I gave it some thoughts, and part of me wanted to see if anyone else was interested, and I'm more than happy to let them serve,” he said. “And there didn't appear to be other interests.”
Berga lives in Kasilof and previously served on the city of Kenai’s Harbor Commission. According to his application for the seat, Berga has worked in commercial seafood, oil and gas and tourism. He says serving on the assembly is an opportunity to give back to his community.
During his interview, Berga said he has never attended a borough assembly meeting before, but that he is aware of issues they’ve dealt with. He says he also consulted with Hicks about what topics the assembly has considered lately.
Election Day is Nov. 3. The deadline to register to vote or update registration information is Oct. 4.
