Daily Sitka Sentinel

Sitka Voting Gets Off to Brisk Start

By SHANNON HAUGLAND
Sentinel Staff Writer
    More than 20 voters cast ballots at city hall Monday, the first day of advance voting in the city election, and voting has continued steady today, the city clerk said.
    “I think it’s going to be a big turnout, which I’m excited about,” Municipal Clerk Sara Peterson said. “We’re also getting a lot of inquiries.”
    In-person absentee and advanced voting in the Oct. 2 city election is open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily on the third floor of city hall. Voters must be registered to vote in Sitka and present an ID to cast a ballot. The last day to register for this election was Sept. 2.
    The ballot has candidates for mayor, Assembly and School Board and two citizen-sponsored initiatives. One of the ballot questions calls for reinstating the senior sales tax exemption, and the second would allow for bars and clubs to opt out of the statewide smoking ban in public places.
    Those unavailable to vote in person may contact the city clerk’s office by Sept. 25 to vote by mail, or by 5 p.m. Oct. 2 if they want to vote by fax, Peterson said.
    So far, about 50 applications have been received for ballots by mail, Peterson said.
    The three candidates for mayor are Aaron Bean, Ben Miyasato, and Gary Paxton, who is a former city administrator. Bean and Miyasato are current members of the Assembly. If Bean is elected, the Assembly will have 20 days to appoint someone to fill out the remaining year of his term. Miyasato’s Assembly term expires in October.
    Five candidates are running for the two seats on the Assembly: Brinnen Carter, Kevin Mosher, Blossom Twitchell, Sheila Finkenbinder, and Valorie Nelson. Nelson has previously served on the Assembly and as mayor, and the other candidates are seeking their first terms on the Assembly.
    Candidates for the two School Board seats are Amy Morrison and incumbents Eric Van Cise and Cass Karras Pook.
    Proposition No. 1 on the ballot asks whether voters want to repeal Ordinance 2018-14, which the Assembly passed this year to replace the longstanding senior sales tax exemption with a needs-based exemption.
    Proposition No. 2 asks whether voters want Sitka to be exempt from the new state law banning smoking in certain public places. If the proposition passes, Sitka’s current law would stand, which bans smoking in public places and places of employment, but allows bars and clubs to choose for themselves whether or not they want to allow smoking. Sitka is the only town putting a question to voters to opt out, according to officials from the American Cancer Society.