Election 2025: District 2 incumbents en route to wins, gas tax vote fails

As election results continue to come in following the Nov. 4 elections for the Matanuska-Susitna Borough (MSB) Assembly and the Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District (MSBSD).

Results posted on the MSB Facebook page have yet to be certified but paint a picture of with nearly 98,000 registered voters, only 11% total turned out to cast votes for members of the MSB assembly, school board, as well as giving their voice to the gas excise tax, which is expected to be taken up again by the MSB assembly next month.

The District 2 incumbents on the Mat-Su Borough Assembly and Mat-Su School board are the apparent winners and a gas tax proposal is failing, according to the unofficial results of the 2025 Mat-Su Borough elections released late Tuesday night.

First up, the MSB assembly results.

In District 1, the seat held by Tim Hale was up for grabs as he did not run, leaving the voters to choose from Michael Bowles and Michelle Heun. Bowles had over 1,700 votes over Heun, who had received 949 votes.

Stephanie Nowers looks to be on the verge of retaining her District 2 seat on the assembly, leading challenger Dana Raffaniello 1,384-541 in the unofficial results.

Over in District 4, incumbent Maxwell Sumner was unopposed and will continue to serve for another term.

The MSBSD school board races featured a pair of races with newcomers vying for open seats. In District 7, Ted Swanson chose not to run for re-election, leaving Lorie Colee in the lead over Dena McChargue 1,034-691.

In District 5, another incumbent, Brooks Pitcher, also ran unopposed.

Meanwhile in District 2, incumbent Kendall Kruse has the edge to return to her spot on the school board following the challenge of Gage Saxton. Kruse holds a 1,251-751 advantage.

There were also two propositions for the voters to weigh in on. Prop 1, which calls for prorated senior and disabled veteran property tax, passed easily. The yes votes led 9,901-1,558, according to the unofficial results.

Meanwhile, voters have said no to the unpopular Proposition 2, an advisory vote for a 7 cents-per-gallon motor fuel excise tax, is failing by a more than 2-to-1 margin, with 8,012 no votes and 3,465 yes votes. The measure was added to the ballot after much discussion on the tax in the MSB assembly. The vote does not mean the measure will fail; it was simply a chance for all voters to voice the opinion on the matter.

There are still as many as 1,713 absentee ballots to be counted.

There was also a propositions for residents in Meadow Lakes. Proposition 3, which proposed annexation of parcels into the Meadow Lakes Road Service Area No. 27 (Existing properties in RSA) has a slight margin, with 354 votes for the measure, and 279 votes against it.

The election certification is scheduled for Nov. 18 at 5 p.m., Assembly Chambers, at the Borough Administration Building (Dorothy Swanda Jones Building) in Palmer.

This is a developing story. Continue to see frontiersman.com for more.

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