15 file in city races

When the filing period for the October city elections closed last Friday afternoon, 11 candidates had filed for council seats in Palmer, Wasilla and Houston and four candidates had officially filed in the race to become the next mayor of Wasilla. All three city governments will hold elections on Tuesday, Oct. 1.

Wasilla is the only one of the three cities to elect a mayor this year, but more pertinent may be the fact that no one filed for one of the two Wasilla council seats that are on the October ballot.

City Clerk Kristie Smithers said the voters are likely to select a write-in candidate.

"We'll definitely have to hand count on the night of elections or the day after," Smithers said.

Smithers said she is going to request a briefing and opinion from city attorney Thomas Klinkner next week. She said she would have questions for the attorney, such as what to do to make sure the winner is qualified to hold office and how to set guidelines for what to do in the event of a tie -- or if a winning candidate simply isn't interested in holding office.

"I worry about what happens if we have a five-way tie," Smithers said. "And what if John Doe is in a tie and John Doe says 'No, I'm not interested, how did my name get on there?' I'll have to prepare hypotheticals for the attorney for situations like that."

In Wasilla, council candidates run for individual seats but the seats themselves are elected by the voters at large, not by districts. Incumbent council member Noel Lowe filed for re-election to seat C, the seat he currently occupies. The open seat is seat D which is currently occupied by Judy Patrick. Wasilla has term limits, and Patrick has served two three-year terms, the maximum allowed by city code.

In the race for Wasilla mayor are Mat-Su Borough Assemblyman Dan Kelly, Wasilla council member Dianne Keller, resident Cliff Silvers and Faye Palin, a former vice president at Matanuska Telephone Association who is also mother-in-law to current Wasilla Mayor Sarah Palin. Kelly, Keller and Palin all announced their candidacies earlier this year. Silvers filed for office Friday.

Wasilla has a strong mayor system of government that grants broad control -- and responsibility -- over the day-to-day operations of the city to the elected mayor and the mayor's administration.

Another full slate

in Houston

Last year in Houston, 11 candidates filed for five open seats. This year, Houston has another large election, with four seats on the ballot and seven candidates. Houston has a seven-member council with a mayor selected by the council after each year's election.

Houston council seats have three-year terms. In a typical election year two seats will open, and every third year three seats are open. This year there are four seats up for election. Two are on their regular election cycle and two more are open due to the resignation of one council member and the death of another.

Incumbent Nancy Johnson is running unopposed to retain seat A. Incumbent Michael Markiel will face challenger Gary Ellis in the race for seat B. Seats A and B will both be filled for three-year terms ending in 2005.

In the race for seat D, incumbent Johnnie Winder will face challenger Daniel G. Govoni. Winder and Govoni are in a race for a one-year term ending in 2003. Seat D was left vacant when Cliff Moore resigned last winter.

In the race for seat F incumbent Rosemary Burnett is being challenged by past council member Jerry Nelsen. Burnett and Nelsen are in a race for a two-year term. Seat F became vacant when Burnett's husband, Carl Burnett, died last year on the day before he was to be sworn into office.

Three run for two

in Palmer

In Palmer Planning and Zoning Commissioner Detlef "Det" Wanke will challenge City Council incumbents Brad Hanson and Tony Pippel. All Palmer council seats are elected at large. Palmer's is a true at-large race, where the candidates don't choose which seat to run for. Voters will be asked to select two candidates from the three and the two with the most votes will be seated. The two open seats have three-year terms ending in October 2005.

Last year, Hanson lost a bid for a seat in a four-way race with two seats open. He was subsequently appointed by the council to a seat left vacant by Jim Cooper, who resigned his council seat after being elected mayor of Palmer. The seat Cooper left open expires this year.