A candidate running for Ketchikan City Council has gotten a protective order against another candidate.
On Sept. 18, Ketchikan District Court Judge Kristian Pickrell approved a one-year protective order requested by Judy Zenge against Brian Buchman. Zenge was concerned about Buchman stalking her.
Both Zenge and Buchman are running for open council seats in the upcoming Ketchikan municipal election. Zenge has served on the council before, for about a decade, but did not run last year. Buchman is seeking office for the first time.
The protective order stems from an incident on Aug. 30 when Buchman was outside of a mall handing out copies and taking donations for a street newspaper he publishes called “The Homeless Changed.” He told the court he’d been doing that off and on for about three years and had permission. Zenge said Buchman did not have permission.
Zenge manages the mall and asked her husband to ask Buchman to leave. An argument ensued inside Zenge’s office, which included Buchman refusing to leave. The court found that Buchman faked a medical emergency to intimidate Zenge.
The Ketchikan Daily News reports that during a hearing on the incident, Judge Pickrell added details to the protective order allowing Buchman to participate in election activities as long as he didn’t interact directly with Zenge. For example, he would need to be at opposite ends of the stage or a table during a candidate event.
Buchman filed similar protective orders against the Zenges, but the judge denied them, stating that the Zenges’ testimony was more credible.
Eight candidates are running for three open seats on Ketchikan City Council. The municipal election is on Oct. 3.
Editor’s Note: Judy Zenge’s campaign is underwriting on KRBD, but that does not involve the newsroom.
