Candidates begin filing for Anchorage municipal office

Large white boxes that read "Vote by Mail Ballot Drop Box" sit in a warehouse.
Ballot drop boxes wait to be deployed in the Municipality of Anchorage Election Center on Jan. 14, 2021. (Kavitha George/AKPM)

Friday marked the first day candidates could file to run in Anchorage’s April municipal election. Residents will be casting ballots for mayor, school board and boards of supervisors.

The mayoral field is crowded this year: More than ten candidates have announced their intent to run. By Friday afternoon, eight had officially registered: Assembly member Forrest Dunbar, former Assembly member Bill Evans, former city manager Bill Falsey, former Air Force and commercial pilot Dave Bronson, George Martinez, Mike Robbins, Darin Colbry and Dustin Darden.

Four candidates have filed to run for school board: Pat Higgins, Kelly Lessens, Carl Jacobs and incumbent Alisha Hilde.

The filing deadline is Jan. 29. Due to the pandemic, the majority of voters are expected to vote by mail, but in-person voting will be available at three locations around the city. Ballots will go out in the mail in mid-March. Election day is April 6.

a portrait of a woman outside

Kavitha George worked at Alaska Public Media from 2021 to 2024. Her coverage areas included statewide politics and climate change.

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