Anchorage will hold a special election to fill a newly vacant seat on the city’s assembly. In the mean time, West Anchorage will be represented on the body by an interim appointee.
After announcing the news a week prior, assembly member Tim Steele effectively resigned from the 11-person body at its Tuesday night meeting, citing serious health issues. West Anchorage residents in neighborhoods like Spenard, Turnagain and Sand Lake will pick a new representative in a special election that the municipal clerk’s office has scheduled for later this summer. Candidates will have a week to file, starting on June 26th. The vote will be conducted by mail, with packets sent out to West Anchorage voters in mid-July, and ballots due by August 7th.
So far, two candidates have announced bids to fill the vacant West Anchorage seat. One is Austin Quinn-Davidson directs legal affairs for the Great Land Trust, an environmental conservation nonprofit. Sam Moore, an accountant active in Republican politics, has also announced a campaign. It is both candidates’ first time running for elected office.
But the assembly decided it will not simply wait until the seat is filled. The clerk’s office is now taking applications for an interim member, who will serve for a little more than a month once the Assembly votes on candidates July 12th. Interested West Anchorage residents have until June 25th to file.
Zachariah Hughes reports on city & state politics, arts & culture, drugs, and military affairs in Anchorage and South Central Alaska.
@ZachHughesAK About Zachariah
