With local elections coming up on October 4, the city is still looking for declarations of candidacy for a range of available seats.
A handful of candidates have already declared as of Tuesday. Running for reelection will be Mayor David Jack, who has served since 2013 and won reelection in 2014. As of now, Jack will be running unopposed.
Barbara Conine will be running for reelection to the Wrangell Medical Center Board for another four-year term. At the board’s urging in March, the Borough Assembly decided to reduce the number of seats from nine to seven, given that body’s difficulty in filling vacancies. Two seats set to expire this year will not be refilled as a result, currently held by board members Marlene Messmer and Judy Allen. One vacant seat and that of Olinda White will be on the ballot, both being two-year unexpired terms. No candidates have come forward yet for those seats.
The terms of current Assembly members Julie Decker and Daniel Blake are set to expire in October. Clerk Kim Lane explained that while forms have been taken out to apply for the openings, no candidates have declared yet for candidacy for either of the three-year terms.
On the Port Commission, the seats of John Yeager and David Silva are set to expire this year. One person has expressed interest in running for one of the three-year terms, but no candidates have been announced.
Candidates Georgianna Buhler and Scott W. Seddon have formally declared an interest in two three-year terms on the Public School Board, vacated as the terms of Pamella McCloskey and Rinda Howell end in October. Neither incumbent has so far expressed interest in running again.
Also slated to appear on October’s ballot is a proposed amendment to the Home Rule Charter. Proposition 1 asks a yes or no question, whether to “repeal Section 3-10, Nolan Museum and Civic Center, as set forth in Ordinance No. 919.”
Passage would entail the permanent dissolution of the Nolan Museum and Civic Center Board, which museum director and board chair Terri Henson had advised the city to do this spring. The board predates the center, having originally been formed as a steering committee to guide the building’s development. As with other public committees and boards, it has experienced difficulty in finding people to fill vacancies, while still costing the city money to meet. Its essential functions were also found to be redundant, largely being served already by the Friends of the Wrangell Museum.
Those wishing to declare candidacy for any available offices must do so with the borough clerk’s office by August 31. Individuals who fail to file a declaration of candidacy but still wish to run as a write-in candidate must file with a letter of intent no later than September 30. Write-in votes cast for individuals who do not file a letter of intent will not be counted.
Absentee voting for the Regular Borough Election begins September 19 at City Hall, continuing during regular business hours until October 3. Voters are cautioned to make certain their address of residence is correct on their state registration. City law requires that each voter shall be registered to vote in the precinct in which that person seeks to vote in order to vote in municipal elections, and must be registered before September 4 in order to be counted.
Held November 8, residents are also encouraged to ensure they are registered in time for the General Election if they wish to vote. Absentee voting begins October 24 and lasts through November 7. For more electoral information, consult the city website at http://www.wrangell.com/administration/regular-borough-election-october-6-2015 or else inspect the materials available on a table inside the city hall lobby.
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