In between the August primary election and the November general election, Homer and borough residents have the opportunity to elect new leadership on Oct. 2.
This week, the Homer News looks at candidates for Homer Mayor. Next week we will look at candidates for Homer City Council and Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly District 9, and several borough propositions.
Polls will be open for the Kenai Peninsula Borough Regular Municipal and City of Homer Election 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., Oct. 2. Early voting began Sept. 17.
Any U.S. citizen at least 18 years of age who has registered to vote as a resident of the Kenai Peninsula Borough at least 30 days before the election is eligible to vote.
For the lower peninsula, the ballot will hold elections for Borough Assembly, Board of Education, Homer City Council and Homer Mayor, South Peninsula Hospital Service Area Board and borough ballot propositions.
Borough Assembly Candidates
Willy Dunne and Troy Jones are running for the District 9 (south peninsula) seat. Dunne has been serving on the assembly since 2015 and is a retired marine biologist. Jones is a business owner and is the president of East Road Services Inc. in Homer.
Board of Education Candidates
In District 8 (Homer), Mike Illg runs unopposed. He was appointed to the school board in 2016 and was elected in 2017.
Service Areas
Three candidates are running unopposed for three, 3-year seats on the South Kenai Peninsula Hospital Service Area Board. They are Jacqueline Lenew, Helen Armstrong and William Runnoe.
Propositions
Proposition 1 provides $5,390,000 to help build a new school in Kachemak-Selo. In 2011, residents of the Old Believer village east of Homer submitted a petition to the school board requesting a new school. The current school in K-Selo is comprised of three leased residential homes that have deteriorated beyond useful capacity, the borough election packet said. The borough was awarded a $10,010,000 grant through the 2016-2017 state capital budget. Under the grant program, the borough must provide a 35-percent match of $5,390,000. A “yes” vote approves the issuance of the bonds, while a “no” vote opposes the issuance of the bonds.
Proposition 2 moves the common boundary between Central Peninsula Hospital Service Area and the South Kenai Peninsula Hospital Service Area 15 miles south. Voters residing in the Central Kenai Peninsula Hospital Service Area and the proposed new area are able to vote on this proposition. In 1955, a hospital was built in Homer and was leased to the borough in 1969. In 1971, the Soldotna hospital opened. The boundary between the two hospitals has always been at the Clam Gulch Tower along the Sterling Highway, which is 14.5 miles closer to the Central Peninsula Hospital than the true midway point. A “yes” vote means moving the boundary to the midway point between the two hospitals. A “no” vote means the boundary will stay the same.
Proposition 3 expands the South Kenai Peninsula Hospital Service Area south of Kachemak Bay and west of Gore Point but excluding the city of Seldovia. It includes the villages of Port Graham and Nanwalek. The expansion will increase the tax revenue for the service area. Voters in the current service area and the expanded service area will vote, with a “yes” vote approving the expansion and a “no” vote keeping the boundary the same.
Homer City Council and Homer Mayor Candidates
Two candidates are running for Homer Mayor, Ken Castner and David Lewis. Three candidates are on the ballot for two, three-year Homer City Council seats: Donna Aderhold, Heath Smith and Deb Lowney. However, citing unanticipated new family responsibilities, Lowney is not actively campaigning and said earlier this month that she does not want to run or intend to serve on the council.
For more information on borough and city elections, visit https://www.kpb.us/images/KPB/CLK/Elections/FINAL_APPROVED_VOTER_PAMPHLET.pdf . This brochure also will be mailed to citizens before the election.
Reach Victoria Petersen at vpetersen@peninsulaclarion.com and Michael Armstrong at marmstrong@homernews.com.
Editor’s note: South Peninsula Hospital Service Area Board candidate Helen Armstrong is the sister of Homer News editor and reporter Michael Armstrong.
