Selby Not Seeking Re-Election

Jay Barrett/KMXT
When the final list of candidates for Kodiak Island Borough elections this fall was released yesterday afternoon, there was one name on the ballot that was conspicuous by its absence. Long time mayor Jerome Selby was not running for re-election.
“Well, you know, we considered it, and decided that a quarter-century ofserving as borough mayor was enough. And it’s high time the next generation step up and take the helm, and so that’s where we ended up.”
He made those comments last night after the assembly meeting.
“You know the Kodiak Island Borough’s been in existence for 50 years; I’ve been mayor half of that time almost. And it’s probably a good time to let the second 50 years to get started with some fresh blood. So everything just seemed to stack up to now’s a good time. Because otherwise you can keep making arguments to keep doing this. And there never really is a good time, in some ways. So we just looked at it and said, ‘You know, this is probably the right time.’”
Selby said he made the decision in consultation with his wife and children, and plans on spending more time with family after retirement.
“We kinda want to go and do some things we’ve kinda off for 25 years. But no, we’re not planning on going anywhere. Given where we are and everything, and we got little grandkids that are five and eight. They’re going to be teenagers soon so we figured we better get our grandparent time in before they get distracted off with teenager activities and what not. So we are probably going to spend more time visiting and traveling and stuff. But no, we’re not planning on leaving Kodiak.”
We’ll hear more from Mayor Selby about his thoughts on the Kodiak Island Borough and the challenges it faces on Monday’s newscasts.
With Selby not seeking re-election that all but assures former Assemblyman Jerrol Friend, whose name is the only one on the ballot, a smooth ride into the mayor’s office this fall.