The ballots from Ketchikan Precinct 2 at The Plaza wait to be processed at City Hall on Tuesday night.
The local elections Canvass Board met Wednesday to count about 350 absentee and questioned ballots from Tuesday’s elections. Those ballots changed the results of a key race in Ketchikan.
As of Tuesday night, the top three candidates for Ketchikan City Council’s three open seats were current Borough Mayor Dave Kiffer, incumbent KJ Harris and challenger Amanda Mitchell. Incumbent Dick Coose was a close fourth in that race.
But now, Coose and Mitchell have switched positions. Absentee ballots, especially, helped boost Coose into third place.
The final count shows Kiffer as the top vote-getter, with 889 votes. Harris remains in second, with a total of 599 votes; and Coose is third with 582.
Mitchell now is in fourth with 557 votes. Also running for City Council were Kevin Staples, who received 382 votes total; and Ed Plute, who received 274.
While the numbers are different for all the other local races, the results are unchanged. David Landis remains the clear favorite for Ketchikan Gateway Borough Mayor, and the city’s two ballot propositions each passed easily.
Those propositions together authorize the city to issue up to $10 million in bonds to help pay for water and wastewater pipe repairs.
The Borough Assembly and School Board races were uncontested. On the Assembly, incumbents Glen Thompson and Mike Painter won re-election, and will be joined by John Harrington, who has served previously on that body. On the School Board, incumbent Michelle O’Brien won re-election, and newcomer Glenn Brown will take the seat now filled by Misty Archibald, who didn’t seek re-election.
Following the Canvass Board’s final count, the official voter turnout for Ketchikan changed slightly. It had been 23 percent, and now it’s reported at 22 percent overall.
Election results will be certified by the Borough Assembly and the City Council on Monday. The Assembly’s special meeting is at 5:30 p.m. at the White Cliff Building, and the Council’s is 7 p.m. at City Hall.
