Entering the final day for candidates to register for the municipal election, there are still a few details that need to be worked out.
The main shakeup that could happen today is Assembly member Norton Gregory filing to run for mayor. Gregory, who announced his intention on July 27 to run for mayor, would have to resign his seat on the Assembly if he files his paperwork for mayor.
Mayoral candidate Beth Weldon already did this, resigning from the Assembly on Aug. 1 and filing to run for mayor. Gregory said he wanted to attend two more Assembly meetings — a Finance Committee meeting Wednesday and Committee of the Whole meeting Thursday — before resigning his seat. He said he was volunteering at Project Playground on Friday, and said Friday that he was planning on filing his paperwork today.
The deadline for Gregory and any other candidates is 4:30 p.m. today, and at least one prospective candidate is watching Gregory closely. Carole Triem, who briefly declared to run for a spot on the Assembly in 2017, filed a letter of intent with the Alaska Public Offices Commission (APOC) this past week to run for Gregory’s Areawide Assembly seat if he resigns. Filing a letter of intent allows a candidate to start fundraising.
That Areawide seat won’t open up until Gregory turns in his paperwork, so Triem will have to wait for Gregory to resign before filing her paperwork with the city.
Entering today, there are two candidates already registered to run for mayor: Weldon and Aiding Women in Abuse and Rape Emergencies (AWARE) Executive Director Saralyn Tabachnick. Both are holding campaign kickoff events Tuesday. Weldon’s event runs from 4:30-6:30 p.m. at Louie’s Douglas Inn. Tabachnick’s event runs from 5-6 p.m. at Devil’s Club Brewing Company downtown.
The District 2 Assembly race projects to be a crowded one. There are two open seats, with Deputy Mayor Jerry Nankervis not running for re-election (as he’s running for a seat on the Statehouse) and Weldon resigning her seat to run for mayor.
As of the start of the day, four candidates had filed their paperwork to run for those two seats: Wade Bryson, Don Habeger, Michelle Hale and current Board of Education member Emil Mackey. If Gregory submits his resignation and one of the other candidates wants to run for Gregory’s Areawide seat, CBJ Clerk Beth McEwen said, they can re-submit their paperwork by 4:30 p.m. to run for the Areawide seat.
The two seats up for election are not equal. Nankervis’ term ends this fall, so the winner of his open seat will serve a full three-year term. Weldon still has one year left on her term, so the winner of her open seat will serve that one year and then have to run for re-election. In accordance with CBJ ordinance 29.07.040 the top vote-getter in the District 2 race will get Nankervis’ seat and the second-place finisher will get Weldon’s seat.
Current Assembly member Loren Jones is yet to have a challenger as he runs for re-election for his District 1 seat. If he is re-elected, Jones will enter his third and final term on the Assembly.
The race for the Board of Education might also be low on dramatics. There are three open seats, with Andi Story running for Statehouse, Josh Keaton not running for re-election and Mackey running for a seat on the Assembly.
As of the beginning of the day, three candidates had filed their paperwork for the three spots: Kevin Allen, Paul Kelly and Elizabeth Siddon. Allen, a 2016 Thunder Mountain High School graduate, has run for the School Board the past two years. Kelly and Siddon are first-time candidates.
Those wishing to vote in the Oct. 2 election have until Sept. 2 to register or update their registration.
• Contact reporter Alex McCarthy at 523-2271 or amccarthy@juneauempire.com. Follow him on Twitter at @akmccarthy.
