The application period to file for city office just opened, and already there are two hats in the ring for the job of Homer Mayor. Incumbent first-term Mayor Ken Castner filed for re-election on Monday, and welcomed the challenge by a council member.
“I like competition, and that will bring out some good debate,” he said.
On the first day filing was open Councilmember Donna Aderhold filed for mayor.
“I've got nothing bad to say about Donna Aderhold. She's a hardworking council person,” Castner said. “She spends more time than anybody else, I think, as far as going through the packet and, and tending to details and all that.”
Castner said he looks forward to debating Aderhold on the issues facing the city.
“I'm happy and glad to have a debate about how the city should be run and what the future is and how we come out of COVID, and how we allocate the limited amount of tax dollars that we have to work with,” he said.
As for goals in a second term, Castner said he’d still like to get the water and sewer rates under control, as well as expand services.
“And I also believe that we need to kind of follow up on our obligation to the people that we annexed and, and start expanding the water and sewer, into the areas that were were annexed,” he said. “Because that was kind of the tacit promise that we held out there, you know, 'annex you and we'll give you some service,' but we haven't done a very good job on that expansion.”
In addition to the mayor’s position, two city council seats are up this year. They belong to council members Caroline Venuti and Rachel Lord. Lord filed for reelection on Tuesday, Venuti on Wednesday. A challenger has has filed against the incumbents as well. He is George Hall, a resident of Homer since 2015.
Council seats are for three-year terms, while the mayor’s is a two-year term.
The candidacy filing period is open until August 17. The municipal election is October 6.
