KMXT 100.1 FM Public Radio in Kodiak, Alaska
Nearly a dozen seats on various boards in the Kodiak Island Borough still do not have any declared candidates, and the deadline for filing is tomorrow.
While Assemblyman Jerrol Friend has filed for re-election, Chris Lynch, the other incumbent whose term is ending, has yet to file. The only other declared candidate for assembly is current school board member Aaron Griffin. If nobody else files to run, this would be the second election in a year where Griffin would run unopposed. He was the only candidate for one of the school board seats last year.
There are currently two open seats on the Kodiak Island Borough School Board, and one incumbent, Norm Wooten, has filed for re-election, though the other, Peggy Rauwolf, has not yet filed.
Scott Arndt and Rebecca Nelson have signed up for the Fire Protection Area Number 1 board, which has two openings. As of this morning, they were the only candidates to have signed up any of the nine seats among five service areas available.
The filing deadline is at 4:30 on Wednesday afternoon. After that, write-in candidates may file – which is a change from the past, where people could just write in a candidate, and the one with the most votes would be asked if they’d like to serve. This has happened often in service area elections. But now a write-in candidate must file in advance in order to be seated, even if they get the most votes.
Meanwhile there are three candidates for the two Kodiak City Council seats up for grabs this year. Rich Walker and incumbents Gabriel Saravia and Mark Vizcocho, have thrown their hats into the ring. City Clerk Deb Marlar urges people to file their nominating petitions well before the 4:30 Wednesday deadline so the signatures can be verified.
