A last-day filing by three candidates on Monday boosted the Homer City Council election from four candidates last Friday to seven as of 5 p.m. Aug. 17.
In Kenai Peninsula Borough elections, Anchor Point resident Dawson Slaughter made the election for the District 9 borough assembly seat a contest when he filed against Fritz Creek resident Willy Dunne. District 9 assembly member Mako Haggerty cannot run for re-election because of term limits. District 9 is the seat for the southern Kenai Peninsula, excluding Homer.
Incumbent Board of Education member Elizabeth “Liz” Downing will run unopposed for the District 8 seat. District 8 is Homer.
For the two seats on the Homer City Council, Tom Stroozas, Michael Neece and Heath Smith all filed Monday. On Aug. 13, Joni Wise filed and on Aug. 14 Donna Aderhold entered the race. Burgess and Howard entered the first week filing opened.
The seven candidates in order of filing are:
• Incumbent Beauregard (Beau) Burgess;
• Robert “Bob” Howard;
• Joni Wise;
• Donna Aderhold;
• Micheal Neece;
• Heath Smith; and
• Tom Stroozas.
Burgess is running for re-election. He was appointed to fill Kevin Hogan’s seat in April 2012 when Hogan resigned. Burgess then ran for and won in October 2012.
The seat of council member Francie Roberts also is up for election. When Roberts ran in 2012 for re-election, she said then that it
would be the last time she ran for city council. She has served on the council since 2006.
To win on the first ballot, a candidate must receive at least 40 percent of the votes cast. The top-two candidates win the two seats.
Howard is a retired civil engineer. He has served on the Economic Development Commission, the Sewer and Water Task Force and currently serves on the Port and Harbor Commission. He is married to former council member Barbara Howard.
Wise is a homemaker with five children and also worked as bookkeeper for Marty Wise Electrical, her husband’s company. She also worked as a loan processor at First National Bank Alaska.
Aderhold works as a senior wildlife ecologist with HDR Inc. and formerly worked as a research wildlife biologist with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. She is married to Wayne Aderhold and has two stepchildren. She has bachelor of science and master of science degrees in wildlife science.
Neese is a writer. He formerly served on the Global Warming Task Force and the Economic Development Advisory Commission.
Smith works for United Parcel Service. He and his wife Tara have six children. He also has a bachelor of arts degree in international relations.
Stroozas is publisher of America’s Cuisine. He previously worked for Piedmont Natural Gas and is the president of the Homer Chamber of Commerce and Visitor Center. He also is a member of Homer Elks. Stroozas also serves on the Homer Advisory Planning Commission and is married to Debbie Stroozas.
In the borough assembly race, Dunne works as a biologist in fisheries research for the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. Dunne has a bachelor of science in natural resource management. He has served on the Kachemak Bay Advisory Planning Commission, the McNeil Canyon Site Council and currently serves on the Kachemak Bay State Park Citizens Advisory Board. He also has worked as a commercial fisherman and a park ranger. Dunne is married to Janice Higbee and has one daughter.
Slaughter is self-employed. He is the owner of AP Mini Store and Dawson’s ATM Services. He also is vice president of the Anchor Point Chamber of Commerce and is married to Krizzie Ann Slaughter.
Assistant City Clerk Melissa Jacobsen said the last time Homer had such a large slate of candidates was in 2009, when six ran.
To calculate percentage of votes, the number of votes total cast in the election is divided by the number of seats. For example, if 2,000 votes are cast, the candidate must win 40 percent or 400 of 1,000 votes cast. If the top-two candidates win 40 percent, they win the two seats. If no candidates win 40 percent, a run-off is held among the top-four vote getters. If one candidate wins 40 percent, a run-off election is held among the second- and third-place finishers. The first election is held Oct. 6.
