Unofficial election results for the Northwest Arctic Borough’s only contested race for Assembly Seat 4, which represents Kotzebue, show Carl Nasruk Weisner ahead of Thomas Ikaaq Baker by about 70 votes. Ballot calculations were delayed several days after the election, due to the October 8 storm. Bering Air, the regional commercial airline service for Northwest Arctic communities, grounded flights for the day after elections and only offered a few flights the following afternoon.
The borough assembly is responsible for a $31 million annual budget, setting policies that direct borough management, making decisions about funding for infrastructure and services, and high level oversight of a borough government with three dozen employees.
Weisner previously served as an assembly member for thirteen years, from 2005 until Baker, his opponent, was appointed to the House District 40 seat by Gov. Mike Dunleavy. He lost the seat to Robyn Burke of Utqiaġvik last year.
In the City of Kotzebue’s election, there were two city council races.
The unofficial results released on Wednesday show Saima Chase as the presumed winner, leading the Seat F race, ahead of Carl D. Jennings by over 70 votes. Chase’s seat was held by council member Cory Jackson. Chase previously served two terms as Kotzebue mayor and ran unsuccessfully in the state House District 40 race last year as a Democrat.
Incumbent Johnson Greene is the presumed winner in the other city council race, about 50 votes ahead of Paeton Schaeffer. Greene has served as a council member for three consecutive terms, a total of nine years. The Kotzebue city council does not have term limits.
According to the city clerk, 229 votes were cast in yesterday’s city council election out of 1860 Kotzebue registered voters — just a little over 8% voter turnout.
Another council seat remains vacant as of September 18. Ruth Moto resigned with two more years in her term. The incoming council will vote on a replacement from a pool of applicants to serve her remaining term. A date has not yet been set for that vote.
Results from the races for Northwest Arctic Borough School Board seats have not been released.
