The field for five seats on the Anchorage Assembly is now final. Candidates had until Friday to file with the clerk’s office to get their names on the April 5th ballot.
The seats are spread across every part of the municipality except the Downtown district, which doesn’t come open until 2017. With almost half of the Assembly’s 11 seats hanging in the balance, the election has the potential to reshape the political direction of the body.
Though the candidates run the political gamut from liberal to conservative, 10 of the 12 are white men.
Only one candidate running is a woman, incumbent Amy Demboski of the Chugiak-Eagle River district. Her challenger is political newcomer Nicholas Begich III, nephew to former senator Mark Begich.
Forest Dunbar–the 2014 Democratic challenger to Don Young’s House seat–is running for the East Anchorage spot currently held by Paul Honeman, who has decided not to pursue a third term. Dunbar’s opponent, Terre Gales, retired from the Air Force and now works for the city’s Public Works Department.
There are also races in West and South Anchorage for seats held by outgoing Assembly members Ernie Hall and Jennifer Johnston, respectively. And incumbent Dick Traini is defending his Midtown district seat against candidate Ron Alleva.
Zachariah Hughes reports on city & state politics, arts & culture, drugs, and military affairs in Anchorage and South Central Alaska.
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