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None of the four contested races in last week’s municipal election were close, though the number of voters who cast ballots compared to last year was about as close as it can get. Last year’s municipal election tallied 485 voters. This year’s total was 486. “Yes, you are reading that correctly, we had one more voter this year than we had last year,” Borough Clerk Kim Lane reported to the assembly this week. The assembly certified the results Oct. 7, after the canvass board had counted early and absentee votes and resolved several questione...
Though 87 absentee and early votes and questioned ballots will not be tallied until Thursday, the leaders after Tuesday’s municipal election appear likely to win on the final count. Borough assembly candidate David Powell led Don McConachie Sr. by 47 votes after Tuesday’s election. School board candidates Brittani Robbins and Angela Allen were ahead of their challengers by about 100 votes for two open seats. And Jessica Whitaker led Julia Ostrander by 44 votes — 215 to 171 — for a one-year school board term. Races for two other assembl...
Wrangell voters in Tuesday’s election will decide on three borough assembly seats, three school board members and three port commission members. Of the nine races, five are uncontested — unless a write-in candidate declares by Friday — and the other four present voters with a choice of candidates. The polls will be open 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday at the Nolan Center. People need to bring their state-issued voter ID card, said Kim Lane, borough clerk. If voters don’t have their ID card, they will be allowed to cast their ballot if the electio...
John Martin's first watercraft "would have been the canoe I got when I was 13." Now 72 years old, he has had "a number of boats" and a number of years on boards and councils in the community. Martin is seeking his third term on the port commission in Tuesday's municipal election. He also has served on the WCA tribal council, the hospital board, and "I did a tour on the museum board." Martin is unopposed for a three-year term on the port commission. He and Chris Buness are the only two declared...
Frank Roppel has served the past year on the port commission, but this is the first time he is running for elected office. He was appointed last year to fill a vacant seat, and has decided to seek a one-term term in Tuesday's municipal election. He is unopposed for the seat. Roppel, 84, has a lot of experience in marine transportation and docks, working more than 40 years in the Southeast timber industry, including about 20 years as an executive with Alaska Pulp Corp. until his retirement in...
Chris Buness describes herself as a "self-propelled boater" - a kayaker and canoer - but that does not diminish her interest in providing services for motorized boaters and working to attract more of them to visit Wrangell. Buness is running for a three-year term on the port commission in Tuesday's municipal election. She and incumbent John Martin are the only candidates on the ballot for the two three-year terms. "I'd love to see more folks from other communities" moor their boats in Wrangell o...
There will be contested races for one seat on the borough assembly, three seats on the school board and one seat on the port commission in Wrangell’s Oct. 5 municipal election. Candidates for two other borough assembly seats and a port commission seat are unchallenged. Jim DeBord and Bob Dalrymple are running for the two three-year open terms on the assembly. Dalrymple is an incumbent; he was appointed in January to fill out the year for Julie Decker, who left the assembly. DeBord also expressed interest in the seat at that time, though the a...
Candidacy filings for Wrangell’s Oct. 5 municipal election will close at 4 p.m. Tuesday. Residents who want their name on the ballot for a seat on the borough assembly, school board or port commission must file their paperwork at City Hall by the deadline. As of Monday, with a week still to go before the deadline, nine candidates had filed for the positions. Jim DeBord was the only candidate as of Monday for the two three-year seats on the borough assembly. Don McConachie Sr. filed for the one-year unexpired term open on the assembly. Angela A...
Candidacy filing is open for the municipal election, with nine seats on the ballot for borough assembly, port commission and school board — three seats each. The filing deadline is Aug. 31. The declaration of candidacy form is available weekdays at the borough clerk’s office at city hall. Candidates also need to submit a petition signed by at least 10 qualified voters in Wrangell. The assembly seats held by Terry Courson, David Powell and Bob Dalrymple will be on the Oct. 5 ballot, as will the port commission seats of Frank Roppel, Brian Mer...
The filing period opened this week for nine seats on the borough assembly, school board and port commission. Which means it's time for people to think about what they want for the community's future and how they could help make it happen. The best candidates are those who are for something, not against. Those who have ideas, not grudges and gripes. There is probably no shortage of people against COVID-19 health rules, taxes, zoning restrictions, cell phone towers, school policies, dog control la...
Tacoma-based Alaska Ice Seafoods, which specializes in geoducks, also markets crab under the Fathom Seafoods name, and it’s the crab and other seafood that is bringing the company to Wrangell. Alaska Ice Seafoods has asked the city to approve an assignment of Steve Thomassen’s Crab Alaska marine service center lease. Thomassen sold his business to Alaska Ice, which wants to retain the location. “We’re not saying we’re going to light the world on fire, we just want to come in and work hard, earn you guys’ business and try to support you guys,...
Trident Seafoods has notified city officials the company will not reopen its Wrangell plant this summer. Plant manager Nick Ohmer called on Tuesday with the expected news, Borough Manager Lisa Von Bargen told the assembly at its evening meeting. "I had a conversation with him about what it would take to get the plant back open here in Wrangell," Von Bargen said. Ohmer responded that the seafood processor would need "to see somewhere between 40% and 50% more fish chums than were projected to retu...
April 14, 1921 Richard Suratt, Wrangell’s movie photographer, sent recently to the company he represents an interesting group of pictures which were taken on his recent trip to see construction of the Alaska Railroad. The one that will no doubt excite the most interest wherever shown was taken at the end of steel along the construction of the railroad, and shows passengers, alighting from a modern railroad coach, being transferred to dog sleds. The coach is standing at the extreme end of the finished portion of the railroad, the ends of the rai...
The borough assembly could decide to adopt a new definition for harbor liveaboards at its April 13 meeting, clarifying that the residential user fee would not be charged if people don't overnight aboard the vessel at least 60 days a year. The assembly also has backed away from a January proposal to raise the fee from $85 to $117 a month. The assembly considered the latest version of the liveaboard ordinance at its March 23 meeting, scheduling a public hearing and possible final action April 13....
March 10, 1921 E.L. Carpenter of the U.S. Engineering Department, who has been in Wrangell for some time to survey and give an official report on the site of the proposed breakwater, 350 feet in length from Shustak Point, is leaving for Seattle on the Mary. A petition was circulated in April 1919 by Samuel Cunningham and forwarded to Delegate Grigsby for the breakwater at Wrangell harbor which would afford protection in stormy weather to hundreds of boats. Later it was found that the petition had been lost, and in early 1920 Oscar Wickstrom,...
The borough assembly on Tuesday postponed an increase to the residential user fee for liveaboard vessels in Wrangell harbors. The ordinance would have raised the fee for water, sewage and garbage services by about $35 a month. The change in municipal code also would have broadened the definition of liveaboard, while boosting the monthly rate to almost $117, the harbor department's Keeleigh Solverson told the assembly. The assembly decided the ordinance still needs some work, directing that it...
July July 2: With recent national attention on racial bias and police brutality, the community met via web conference June 29 for an evening town hall meeting to discuss policing practices in Wrangell. The meeting provided an opportunity for residents to ask questions of Chief Tom Radke and to share their opinions on the Wrangell Police Department. Those who spoke in the meeting, by and large, expressed support for the police and their current practices. July 9: The cities of Wrangell,...
Wrangell's port commission met last Thursday, Nov. 12. A large portion of their discussion that night surrounded the installation of ladders between slip spaces at Shoemaker Harbor. Shoemaker has recently undergone extensive renovations, replacing old docking and making the harbor more accessible for vessels. The commission was looking at installing ladders in between each slip space in the harbor. This would cost about $84,000, according to the discussion. Brian Merritt, with the Port...
The Wrangell Borough Assembly met Tuesday evening, Oct. 27. The main focus of the meeting was a discussion on the COVID-19 pandemic, and the situation across the state. Multiple guest speakers from the state were invited into the discussion, to answer questions and talk about what people need to do to stay safe. Guests included DHSS Commissioner Adam Crum, Bryan Fisher with Alaska's COVID-19 Unified Command, DHSEM Deputy Director Paul Nelson, and Eliza Muse with DHSS. It is pretty clear that Ala...
The Wrangell Borough Assembly held a special meeting last Thursday, Oct. 8, to certify the final election results from Oct. 6. Following a Canvass board meeting to review preliminary election results, it was found that a total of 483 ballots were cast and counted this election cycle, 419 on election day and 64 absentee. Steve Prysunka was re-elected to mayor for another two-year term. Anne Morrison and Ryan Howe were re-elected to the assembly for three-year terms. Terry Courson was elected to...
Tuesday, Oct. 6, was election day for Wrangell. Polls closed at 8 p.m., with the preliminary count showing a total of 419 voters participating on election day. Wrangell voters chose the community's leadership in a variety of positions this year, as well as whether or not Wrangell should leave the Inter-Island Ferry Authority. Below are the preliminary election results. Preliminary winners are marked with an asterisk (*). Borough Mayor, one two-year term *Steve Prysunka, 304 Write-ins, 54...
Election Day is just around the corner, on Oct. 6. Wrangell residents have the opportunity to voice their support for several candidates, seeking various leadership positions across the borough. Mayor, one two-year term Stephen Prysunka is seeking re-election to the position of mayor for a two-year term. He has served as Wrangell's mayor since 2018. He is seeking re-election because Wrangell is going through some hard times, he said, and it would be important to keep people with experience...
The Wrangell Port Commission held a workshop last Thursday evening, Sept. 3. During this meeting, the new harbor master for the city was introduced. Steve Miller will be taking over as harbor master in the near future. Current Harbor Master Greg Meissner will be retiring soon, according to Keeleigh Solverson with the harbor department. Meissner first announced his intentions to retire in February of this year, according to a Feb. 13 article in the Wrangell Sentinel. Meissner confirmed that he...
The Wrangell Port Commission met Thursday evening, Aug. 6, to discuss plans to relocate an old Forest Service vessel. The borough assembly adopted a memorandum with the Forest Service last November, regarding the M/V Chugach Ranger. According to a Nov. 14, 2019 article in the Sentinel, the ship was first constructed in 1925, and is one of the last wooden Forest Service ranger boats in existence. It currently resides in the boat yard. However, the plan is to move the boat over to the Nolan...
Declarations of candidacy for Wrangell's election will be opening in the near future. A July 9 Facebook post on the city's page listed open positions interested candidates may consider. The position of mayor will be up for grabs this year, a two-year term. There are also three seats open on the borough assembly. Two seats are for three-year terms, while another one is for a two-year unexpired term. There is one spot available on the Wrangell School Board, for a three-year term. Lastly, there...
