Voters mark their ballots at Ketchikan’s Precinct No. 2 at The Plaza on Nov. 6, 2018. (KRBD photo by Leila Kheiry)
After an eleventh-hour surge of filings, elections for seats on Ketchikan’s school board and Borough Assembly are now competitive races.
A total of five people will compete for two open Borough Assembly seats. Jason Button, Grant EchoHawk, Carlos Weimer and Jaimie Palmer join Darlene D-Svenson in a race for a full three-year term.
They’ll vie for seats vacated by Sven Westergard, who is not seeking reelection, and Felix Wong, who is ineligible to run again because of term limits.
There are also five candidates for Ketchikan’s school board. Three seats are available. Incumbent Nicole Anderson will face challenges from Keenan Sanderson, Tom Heutte, Ali Ginter and Stephen Bradford. All are seeking full three-year terms.
School board president Kim Hodne, who was elected last year to finish a one-year term, will not seek reelection, nor will Doug Gregg, who was appointed earlier this year to fill a vacancy.
There were no last-minute filers for Ketchikan City Council or mayor. Dave Kiffer is running unopposed to succeed current Ketchikan city mayor Bob Sivertsen, who isn’t running.
And three are vying for two City Council seats. Janalee Gage is seeking a third term on the city’s legislative body. Jai Mahtani and Lallette Kistler are running as challengers. Sam Bergeron will not seek reelection.
And all races in the City of Saxman are unopposed: Frank Seludo, Billy Joe Thomas and Rick Makua are each seeking a three-year term on the Saxman City Council.
While the filing deadline means no more names can be added to the ballot, residents can still register as write-in candidates with the city or borough clerks’ offices.
The deadline to register to vote is Sunday, Sept. 5. Election day is October 5.
