The Ketchikan Gateway Borough is holding a special election next Tuesday. There are three ballot measures, all to recall sitting school board members: Jordan Tabb, Judy Guthrie and president Katherine Tatsuda.
Borough Clerk Kacie Paxton says a ‘yes’ vote for each ballot measure would be to remove the member from office. A ‘no’ vote would keep them on the board.
“What a recall is is it’s removing an elected official from office,” Paxton said. “So a group of citizens exercised their statutory right by placing the questions on the ballot and requiring a special election. Now all of our registered voters have the opportunity to exercise their statutory right and privilege to vote on the question, ‘do you want to recall these members?’ Yes or no.”
According to recall petitioners, one of the reasons for the recall is for violation of a statute that requires a balanced budget and exceeding authorized budget limits. The petition states that contracts approved by the board in June exceeded the adopted budget by $371,629.
The other listed violation is for failing to comply with a board policy that requires the district to “employ the most highly qualified person available for each open position.” Petition sponsors wrote that the board has employed applicants with only emergency certification rather than the most qualified applicants.
Newly elected board member Shari Montgomery is one of the contacts who submitted the recall application. The special election comes as the district struggles to find new leadership, and just weeks after the election of the new school board.
Paxton says she reviewed nine other recall applications before approving this one. All of them were for school board members. Paxton approved this application not because the reasons listed are true, but they would be sufficient for a recall if they are true.
She says special elections typically have a lower voter turnout.
“The most important thing is that people vote to express their opinion, to have their voice heard, whether they are in favor of the recall or not in favor of the recall,” Paxton said.
If the ballot measures pass and the board members are recalled, their seats will become vacant on Dec. 1 when the election is certified by the Borough Assembly. The board then has 30 days to appoint new members to fill those seats.
It has cost the borough $30,200 to hold this election. Paxton says about half of that is to staff all seven polling stations.
The last special election the borough held was in 2004.
Polling locations can be found on the Ketchikan Gateway Borough website. Early voting is open now at the Borough Clerk’s office from 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. Monday to Friday.
