Homer Alaska - News

The city's next general munici-pal election is Oct. 6. The candidacy filing period is Aug. 1 through 5 p.m. Aug. 17. Three positions will be on this year's ballot: mayor, a two-year term; and two city council positions, each a three-year term.

Mayor James Hornaday and council members Beth Wythe and Bryan Zak currently hold those positions.

Hornaday, the city's 12th mayor, is completing his third term as the city's top elected official. He was originally voted into office in 2004 and re-elected in 2006. Less than a month before the 2008 election, Hornaday made a surprise announcement that he had changed his mind and would not seek a third term. However, the late date of his decision made it impossible to remove his name from the ballot. Hornaday went on to win the election with 52 percent of the vote.

Asked if he would be running for a fourth term, Hornaday said he had not decided.

"I don't know yet," he told the Homer News. "I go up and down on that."

Wythe has her application in hand.

"I am planning to put it in. We'll see how it goes," said Wythe, who was first elected to the city council in 2004 and again in 2007.

"When I first ran for office, my mind set was that it takes a certain amount of time to make a change, at least 10 years to have a substantial impact on a government situation," said Wythe. "But with my personal life and work, I have to really think about it every time it (reelection) comes up."

Zak was elected to complete the last two years of a term for which Lane Chesley was elected in 2007. Zak also ran for one of the two openings on the council in that election, finishing third, behind Wythe and Chesley. In March 2008, Chesley resigned from the council to take a job as vice president of operations for the architectural and design firm of Eugene Stoltzfus in Harrisonburg, Va. In that year's election, Zak won his bid to serve the two years remaining in Chesley's term.

Zak has announced his intention to seek reelection.

"I feel like I've done a good job making sure all people's opinions are heard and making common sense decisions," Zak said. "I'm pretty comfortable working with the city, as well as representing individual concerns."

To qualify as a candidate, an individual must be a U.S. citizen, at least 18 years of age, a resident of the city for at least one year prior to the date of election and a registered voter of the city. Any candidate may withdraw, amend or correct a declaration of candidacy no later than Aug. 17. After the last filing date for candidacy has closed, no declaration may be corrected, amended or withdrawn.

For more information, contact the Homer City Clerk's office, 491 E. Pioneer Ave., or call 235-3130.

McKibben Jackinsky can be reached at mckibben.jackinsky.@homernews.com.