Few candidates have filed for upcoming election

With only a couple of days remaining in the candidate filing period for the upcoming Oct. 7 elections in the Kenai Peninsula Borough, many races have no candidates listed.

Across city councils in Kenai, Soldotna, Homer and Seward, the borough assembly and the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District’s Board of Education, there are 19 seats up for grabs this fall. As of Tuesday evening, only nine have a candidate who has filed. Only one race, so far, is contested.

The filing period for candidacy applications across all six electoral races closes at 4:30 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 15. For city elections, applications must be filed with the city clerk’s office by this deadline.

For borough elections, a Declaration of Candidacy form and a Financial Disclosure Statement must be filed with the borough clerk in Soldotna or at the borough offices in Homer or Seward.

Borough electoral candidates or their campaign committee must also file an Exemption Statement or Registration Statement with the Alaska Public Offices Commission within seven days after filing their Declaration of Candidacy.

Eligible candidates must be a U.S. citizen, at least 18 years old, a registered voter in the State of Alaska and a one-year resident of the borough and the district from which election is sought at the time of filing.

Candidates are required to file campaign reports separately with the Alaska Public Offices Commission. For additional information on how to file with APOC, visit their website at doa.alaska.gov/apoc/.

Kenai Peninsula Borough

On the Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly, there are five seats up for election this year. Three are standard election seats for three-year terms ending in October 2028, while the remaining two are for partial terms ending in 2026 and 2027.

The borough’s District 1 seat represents Kalifornsky — the area between Kenai and Soldotna on the western Kenai Peninsula. It’s been held since 2024 by James Baisden, who won an unopposed race just last year. He announced in July that he planned to resign after this year’s election. The candidate elected to the seat will serve the remainder of his term through October 2026.

District 3, representing Nikiski, has been held since 2023 by Peter Ribbens. Ribbens was appointed to the seat in January of that year after Jesse Bjorkman resigned to join the Alaska Legislature. Ribbens that fall won election to complete Bjorkman’s term through this year. The person elected to represent Nikiski will serve through October 2028.

District 4, representing Soldotna, has been held by Tyson Cox since he won election in 2019. Having now served two terms in his seat, Cox will not be able to run for reelection this year. Borough code prevents a person who has served two consecutive terms on the assembly from being reelected until 180 days have passed since leaving office. The person elected to represent Soldotna will serve through October 2028.

District 5, representing both Sterling and Funny River, will be contested for a single-year term through October 2026. Leslie Morton was appointed to the seat earlier this year following the resignation of Bill Elam to join the Alaska Legislature. As of Monday evening, this race is the only contested race on the Kenai Peninsula and the only borough assembly race with any candidates filed. Morton is running for reelection against Dale Eicher, who was an applicant for the appointment alongside Morton earlier this year.

District 7, the central district representing a swath of the peninsula that includes Ninilchik and Clam Gulch, has been held by Brent Johnson since 2019. He also previously served on the assembly between 2010 and 2016. Johnson has served two terms and will not be able to run for reelection. Whoever is elected to the seat will serve through October 2028.

Candidacy forms and the candidate manual are available online at kpb.us under the “Local Governance & Permitting” drop-down menu, then “Current Election Information” under the “Voting & Elections” sub-menu.

For further questions, contact the borough clerk’s office at assemblyclerk@kpb.us or by calling 907-714-VOTE (8683).

Kenai

In Kenai, two city council seats and the mayor’s seat will be filled this fall for three-year terms ending in October 2028.

Brian Gabriel has served as Kenai’s mayor since 2016, after previously serving on the Kenai city council between 2010 and 2016. He is not seeking reelection. Henry Knackstedt, who currently sits on the council and serves as vice mayor, has filed to to run for the mayor’s seat.

On the council, the seats held by Victoria Askin and Alex Douthit will both be up for election. Askin has served on the council since 2020. Douthit has served on the council since 2021. Askin has filed for reelection.

Unlike other local elections, Kenai City Council candidates do not run for specific seats, and Kenai voters will instead cast ballots for two of the running candidates. The two candidates who receive the most votes will take the two seats for three-year terms.

The nomination petition packet is available at Kenai City Hall, located at 210 Fidalgo Ave., or online at the city’s website under “Election Information” in the “City Clerk” department page.

For more information, contact the city clerk at cityclerk@kenai.city or call 907-283-5086.

Soldotna

In Soldotna, elections will be held for two spots on the Soldotna City Council. Both are three-year terms ending in October 2028.

The first is Seat D, held since 2019 by Dave Carey — who previously has also served as mayor of Soldotna and the Kenai Peninsula Borough. Seat E, held since 2016 by Vice Mayor Lisa Parker — who also served on the council between 2002 and 2007 — will also be up for election.

Both Carey and Parker are running for reelection.

Per the city’s code of ordinances, a candidate can declare for any seat if they are a Soldotna resident, U.S. citizen and qualified voter in the city.

The candidate filing packet can be found at soldotna.org under the City Clerk’s office in “Elections.”

For more information, contact the city clerk at cityclerk@soldotna.org or call 907-262-9107.

Homer

Three Homer City Council seats will be up for election on Oct. 7 — two three-year term seats belonging to Storm Hansen and Jason Davis, and one one-year term seat currently held by Bradley Parsons.

Hansen was first elected to office in 2019; Davis was first elected in 2022. Parsons was appointed to the council last November as an interim member, after Rachel Lord was elected mayor in the middle of her council term. Parsons and Davis are seeking reelection.

The candidate filing packet can be found on the City of Homer website under “City Clerk’s Office” and then “Election Information.”

For additional information, contact the city clerk’s office by calling 907-235-3130 or visit them in person at Homer City Hall, 491 E. Pioneer Ave.

Seward

The seats held by Seward Mayor Sue McClure and council members Kevin Finch and Randy Wells will all be up for election this year. Each are three-year terms ending in October 2028.

McClure has been Seward’s mayor since 2022, after previously serving on Seward’s city council and representing the city on the borough assembly. Finch has served on the council since 2022. Wells has served on the council since 2021.

Candidate filing packets are available in the clerk’s office, located at in the City Hall building at 410 Adams Street, or online at the city’s website under “City Clerk” then “Voting Information – Seward, AK.”

For questions concerning candidate filing or any other aspect of the election, contact the city clerk’s office at 907-224-4007.

School Board

There are three seats on the KPBSD Board of Education to be filled this election, all for three-year terms through October 2028.

The District 1 seat, representing Kalifornsky, has been held since 2019 by Patti Truesdell, who is seeking reelection.

The District 6 seat, representing the East Peninsula, has been held since 2019 by Virginia Morgan.

The District 9 seat, representing the South Peninsula, has been held since 2016 by Board President Zen Kelly, who is not seeking reelection. Ash-Lee Waddell, of Homer, a 2025 recipient of the First Lady’s Volunteer Award, has filed to run for the seat.

For further questions, contact the borough clerk’s office at assemblyclerk@kpb.us or by calling 907-714-VOTE (8683).

In addition to the council, assembly, and school board seats, there are seats on a variety of borough service area boards that, as of Monday evening, have no candidates. Of 17 service board seats up for election this year, only two have a candidate filed and both are uncontested.

Reach reporter Jake Dye at jacob.dye@peninsulaclarion.com.

Homer News reporter Delcenia Cosman contributed reporting.