It's Municipal Election Day

Tuesday is municipal election day on the Kenai Peninsula. Though early and absentee-in-person voting has been underway for some time, today the polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. for in-person voting.
    Voters will see a variety of contests to decide, depending on residency. Those inside Homer City limits will vote on council members, while those outside the city have assembly elections to decide.
    On the Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly, Seat 9, representing the South Kenai Peninsula outside of Homer, is open with no incumbent after Assemblyman Willy Dunne was term-limited from running again. There are three men seeking election to the seat, Ashton Callahan of East End Road, and Dawson Slaughter and Mike Tupper, both of Anchor Point.
    The Kenai Peninsula Borough Board of Education has two candidates for a three year seat in District 8, the Homer area. They are Tim Daugharty, who retired as a teacher from the school district five years ago, and Britny Bradshaw who has volunteered in the schools since moving to Homer not quite 10 years ago.
    There are three seats -- and three candidates -- for the South Kenai Peninsula Hospital Service Area board. They are Kathryn Ault, Helen Armstrong, and Willy Dunne.
    This year the Homer City Council has three seats available, instead of the usual two. There is a one-year term to fill out the remainder of former Councilman Joey Evenson’s term after he abruptly resigned over the summer. The other two seats are for three-year terms.
Seeking re-election to one of those three-year seats is incumbent Councilwoman Donna Aderhold. She’s joined on the ballot by former Councilwoman Shelly Erickson and sushi chef Adam Hykes, all running at-large for the two seats.
    Instead of seeking re-election to a three-year term, incumbent Councilman Heath Smith decided to run for the one-year term left open by Evenson’s departure. Smith stated he made that decision after considering not running again at all. Smith is a driver for UPS. He will be running against incumbent Councilman Jason Davis, who was appointed by the city council to fill Evenson’s seat until this election. Davis owns Sweetgale Meadworks & Cider House.
    There are three seats available on the Seldovia City Council as well. Four people, Meggie Lagvardt, John J. Kennedy, Jennifer Swick, and John Colberg are running for two open seats with three-year terms. Harmony Payton is running unopposed for a seat with a two-year term.
    In addition, voters in Seldovia will decide on a seasonal sales tax increase to fund public works equipment and operations. The question asks if city sales tax should increase from 4.5 percent to 6.5 percent from April through September.
    While the vast majority of the Kenai Peninsula Borough has an election contest of one kind or another, there are three precincts that have none at all, and therefore no ballots, and no elections. They are the portion of the Kasilof Precinct that is within the Western Emergency Service Area, south of the Clam Tower area; The portion of the Ninilchik Precinct that is within the Western Emergency Service Area and within the Central Kenai Peninsula Hospital Service area; and, The portion of the Tyonek Precinct that is within District 3, but also outside the Nikiski Fire Service Area, Senior Service Area and North Peninsula Recreation Service Area. Residents of those areas have been notified that they do not have any contests to vote on. If you’re unsure, check at your local polling station.
    Elections in Seldovia, as well as Cooper Landing , Fox River, Hope, Moose Pass and Tyonek are conducted by mail. Anchor Point’s polling place is at the Senior Center on Milo Fritz Road. Diamond Ridge voters cast their ballots at the Homer Chamber of Commerce. Homer’s two polling places include Precinct 1 in City Hall and Precinct 2 at the Homer United Methodist Church. And the Kachemak City and Fritz Creek’s polling place is the Kachemak Community Center.