Former Kodiak Residents on Ballots All Around State

Maggie Wall/KMXT
Last week’s general election offered many Kodiak residents a “blast from the past," as there were more former residents running around the state than there were current residents.
If you voted last week you couldn’t help but note the two local candidates, both of whom who won by the way. That would be Senator Gary Stevens and Representative Alan Austerman. Both are long-time Kodiak residents

However, at least three former Kodiak residents were on the ballot elsewhere — and they showed up in all kinds of different situations.
At the top of the ballot we had Sharon Cissna, of Anchorage, who gave up her seat in the Alaska House of Representatives to challenge the seemingly undefeatable Don Young for his U.S. House seat. Maybe it was her years spent living in Kodiak back in the 70s that made her tough enough to take on the 40-year incumbent.
Cissna lived in Kodiak from 1974 to 1980. She wrote for a number of local publications including the old “Kodiak Fish Wrapper and Litter Box Liner”.
If you remember Roger Page’s old publication, give yourself three points for Kodiak trivia.
A second familiar name on the ballot was that of former Kodiak lawyer and Superior Court Judge Joel Bolger.
Bolger was most recently in Kodiak while serving on the superior court bench, a position he held for five years. He left Kodiak when he was appointed to the Alaska Court of Appeals in Anchorage.
It is in that position that Bolger turned up on the ballot. He was one of 26 judges that voters were asked whether or not to retain. And yes, Bolger was retained by a 2 to 1 margin.
And finally, another former Kodiak resident was on the ballot, but don’t feel bad if you didn’t see her name when you voted. That’s because former Kodiak Representative Gabrielle LeDoux was on the House District 13 ballot.
Voters in the East Anchorage – Muldoon district voted 2 to 1 send LeDoux to Juneau to represent her post-Kodiak home community.
Did you find any other former Kodiak residents on the recent list of those running for off-island office? If so, post us a note on KMXT’s Facebook page.