Ketchikan Gateway Borough offices are in the White Cliff building, shown here in a 2013 file photo. (KRBD)
Two newcomers won seats on Ketchikan’s Borough Assembly in October’s local elections. And voters picked one incumbent, one former member and one newcomer for Ketchikan’s school board. That’s after the borough’s Canvass Board tallied more than 400 absentee, questioned and special needs ballots Monday.
Jaimie Palmer held on to her lead in a race for two open Borough Assembly seats, securing more than 1,100 votes. In line for the second open seat is Grant EchoHawk with just under 1,000 votes. Both are newcomers to the borough’s top elected body. They’ll replace outgoing members Felix Wong, who’s term-limited, and Sven Westergard, who did not seek reelection.
Carlos Weimer placed third in the Borough Assembly race, Darlene D-Svenson fourth, and Jason Button came in last.
In a race for three seats on Ketchikan’s school board, attorney and former board member Stephen Bradford bested the field with upwards of 1,300 votes. In second place is incumbent Nicole Anderson with more than 1,100 votes. And newcomer Keenan Sanderson held onto third with just shy of 950 votes. He bested fourth-place Tom Heutte by just 31 votes. Ali Ginter placed last.
Sanderson and Bradford will replace Kim Hodne, the school board president, and Doug Gregg, who was appointed to fill a vacancy earlier this year.
Full results from borough races in Ketchikan’s Oct. 5 local elections. Click for PDF. (Ketchikan Gateway Borough)
And both ballot measures were approved by wide margins. An extension of a 5% sales tax on marijuana passed with just over 80% of voters in support. And a nearly $6.7 million bond measure to add artificial turf and revamp borough baseball and softball fields passed with 78% in favor.
Absentee and other outstanding votes had little impact on the overall standings. Each candidate who led on election night maintained that lead after all ballots were counted.
The results remain unofficial for another week or so. Ketchikan’s Borough Assembly will be asked to certify the election on Oct. 19. Palmer and EchoHawk will be seated immediately afterwards.
Disclosure: Grant EchoHawk is president of KRBD’s nonprofit board of directors. He is not involved in the newsroom.
