Homer, Alaska - Oped - Congratulations to all who ran 10/08/08

Story last updated at 8:33 PM on Wednesday, October 8, 2008

Congratulations to all who ran

Congratulations are in order to the winners in Tuesday's municipal election: Homer Mayor James Hornaday, who won re-election to a third term, and Soldotna Mayor Dave Carey, who unseated John Williams for the top administrative post in the Kenai Peninsula Borough.

Ditto for those who ran unopposed for Homer City Council Barbara Howard, David Lewis and Bryan Zak; for the Homer seat on the borough assembly Bill Smith; and the many others who ran for service area boards.

All of them have big jobs ahead of them, not the least of which will be leading in these economically challenged times. The passage of Proposition 1, the food-tax holiday ballot measure that will eliminate the tax on groceries for nine months a year, could put elected officials at the city and borough level to the test. The measure is expected to cut borough revenues by as much as $1.7 million annually; the city of Homer could lose more than $800,000.

What that means is the job of voters isn't over. They need to keep their elected officials informed about what's acceptable government spending and what's not. Elected officials also need to listen, making sure their priorities match the priorities of those who elected them.

Thanks also are in order to outgoing Borough Mayor John Williams and outgoing Homer City Council member Mike Heimbuch, who ran a strong campaign to become Homer's mayor. Williams and Heimbuch share a common trait: they're passionate about their communities and the political process. They've worked hard for the communities they serve, and it's unlikely the city and borough have seen the last of them. In the meantime, we wish them well as they undertake new adventures.

With the local election out of the way, voters in the Kenai Peninsula Borough can turn their full attention to the national and state races that will be decided Nov. 4. As politicians work hard to get their messages out, we hope they'll listen to the message told in voter registration numbers in Alaska.

About 10,800 Alaskans registered to vote in the past two months, and most of them 4,991 claim allegiance to no party. The state Division of Elections shows 1,972 of the 4,991 registered as nonpartisan and 2,919 registered as undeclared. The Division of Elections reports 4,442 voters signed on as Republicans, while 2,317 registered as Democrats during the past two months.

Statewide, there are more than 268,200 Alaska voters who declare no party allegiance 67,000 more than the two major parties combined. The division shows there are 125,053 registered Republicans in Alaska and 75,763 Democrats.

There may be lots of different ways to read those numbers, but at least one way is this: Most voters don't give a hoot about party politics. They want to elect people who will work in the best interest of the state and nation, not a particular party. They want to elect people to office who will find solutions to the many challenges ahead instead of play the blame game. They want people who will work with those of other parties and no party at all. They want people in office who are as tired of the political wrangling as they are.

In this case, the numbers tell a powerful story.

Homer Alaska - Oped -