Tuesday is municipal election day on the Kenai Peninsula. Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., and remember, in Homer there is no longer a polling place at the senior center. It's been moved to United Methodist Church.
On the ballot, first term Kenai Peninsula Borough Mayor Charlie Pierce is running for re-election, against Linda Farnsworth Hutchings, whom he narrowly defeated three years ago. Also on the ballot is Troy Nightingale.
For Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly, Lane Allen Chesley is running unopposed for the District 8 Homer seat. Chesley is a project manager for Puffin Electric. He served five years on the Homer Advisory Planning Commission, seven months on the Homer City Council in 2007 and 2008, as well as on the South Peninsula Hospital Board and Center for Alaskan Coastal Studies board. The seat is being vacated by Assembly President Kelly Cooper, who, after two consecutive terms, is barred from seeking re-election due to term limits. Her name will appear on the General Election ballot, where she is seeking the State House District 31 seat.
In the Homer area this year there are no seats on the Kenai Peninsula Borough School Board up for grabs. The only contested race on the peninsula is in Seward where two candidates, Katie Hamilton and Virginia Morgan, are vying to fill a seat vacated two years early. Otherwise, expect incumbents Jason Tauriainen of Nikiski, Penny Vadla of Soldotna and Debbie Cary of Ninilchik to win in their uncontested races.
There are three seats on the South Kenai Peninsula Hospital Service Area Board for three years, and a single seat for a two-year-term, all with single candidates.
Residents from Anchor Point, through Ninilchik, to the south border of Central Emergency Services will see Ballot Proposition Number 1 before them, which, if passed, would form a Western Emergency Service Area.
All borough residents will see Proposition Number 2, which seeks to repeal an ordinance that was passed overwhelmingly by the Assembly -- several times in fact -- that would institute a hybrid vote-by-mail system for the borough. The ordinance was needed after the borough was sued for lack of private access to ballots. On several 6-to-3 votes, the Assembly affirmed its position on the ordinance, and it wasn’t until President Trump began attacking absentee voting that conservative elements in the assembly filed the initiative to repeal the ordinance. As it stands, the ordinance would not go into effect until next year.
Locally, first-term Homer Mayor Ken Castner is being challenged by second-term city councilmember Donna Aderhold for the two-year seat.
There are four candidates for two open Homer City Council seats. Incumbents Rachel Lord and Caroline Venuti are facing challenges from George Hall and Raymond Walker.
In-person voting is available in two places in Homer -- Precinct Number 1 is in the Cowles Council Chamber, downstairs at Homer City Hall, and Precinct Number 2, which is at the Homer United Methodist Church at 770 East End Road.
The polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
