Palmer business owner rides support to lead in Palmer City Council race; rookies also lead in borough assembly races

MAT-SU — First-time candidates made a splash in both Mat-Su Borough and Palmer City Council elections. Wasilla also held elections for city council, but Mike Dryden and Tim Burney, who currently hold the seats, ran unopposed.

Newcomer Julie Berberich has a big lead going into the absentee count. With 129 votes left to be counted before Palmer calls its election on Friday in the three-way race for two three-year terms. Berberich has the lead with 405 votes while current Deputy Mayor Richard Best trails fellow councilman Pete LaFrance, 310 for LaFrance to 302 for Best. This is the same number of votes Best his the last election by. There will be at least one current councilman who does not win reelection. As for Berberich, she is shocked, and plans to get to work learning about the council.

“I’m a bit freaked out,” Berberich said. “I get to start working so I get to learn a lot is what I get to do. I don’t have an agenda, I come in open minded and I get to learn.”

As polls closed and ballots were counted, Berberich returned home and saw the good news in an email.

“I’m in total shock,” Berberich said.

Councilwoman Linda Combs ran unopposed for the two-year term and received 489 votes.

Mat-Su Borough

Success of rookie candidates was also a theme in the Mat-Su Borough Assembly elections, where just under 14 percent of registered voters flocked to the polls.

Jesse Sumner and Tam Boeve sit at the top of the standings in the races for Mat-Su Borough Assembly Districts 6 and 7. In District 6, Sumner has 947 total votes, as of 10 p.m., holding the advantage over the incumbent, Dr. Barb Doty, who has 699 votes.

“It’s about like I thought it was going to be to be honest and also the way I’d hoped. We worked real hard and had a lot of supporters. My wife and I worked hard,” Sumner said.

Sumner said he had a good response from voters while he waved signs on election day.

Boeve has 861 votes in a three-way race for District 7, and leads Dan Dees (558) by more than 300 votes. Walter Kloepfer (243) is in third.

In the District 3 assembly race, George McKee ran unopposed for the Assembly District 3 seat and 88 write-in votes were cast.

The yes vote also leads in the borough’s three propositions. This includes Proposition I, which approved, could lead to additional police powers. Yes is leading with 6,397 votes, with 4,393 votes for no. A total of 6,090 votes were cast in favor of Proposition 2, and the road bonds. There were 4,574 no votes.

The closest race among the three was Proposition 3, the vote to change the day of the municipal election. There were 5,590 yes votes, and 5,157 no votes.

Mat-Su Borough Mayor Vern Halter scored the biggest win of the night, receiving almost twice as many votes as Bruce Walden. Halter received 6,374 votes to 3,987 cast for Walden and 132 write-in votes were cast.

Mat-Su Borough election results as of Tuesday, 10 p.m.

BOROUGH MAYOR

(I) Halter 6,374 (up 2,387 )

Walden 3,987

ASSEMBLY DISTRICT 3

(I) George McKee 1,078 (unopposed)

ASSEMBLY DISTRICT 6

Jesse Sumner 947 (up 248)

(I) Barb Doty 699

ASSEMBLY DISTRICT 7

Tam Boeve 861 (up 303)

Dan Dees 558

Walter Kloepfer 243

SCHOOL BOARD DISTRICT 1

Thomas Bergey 959 (up 96)

(I) Debby Retherford 853

SCHOOL BOARD DISTRICT 4

(I) Sarah Welton 578 (up 116)

Brittany Harvey 462

PROP 1: POLICE POWERS

YES: 6,397 (up 2,004)

NO: 4,393

PROP 2: ROAD BOND

YES: 6,090 (up 1,516)

NO: 4,574

PROP 3: ELECTION DATE CHANGE

YES: 5,590 (up 433)

NO: 5,157

PALMER CITY COUNCIL

3-year term

Julie Berberich 405

Pete LaFrance 310

Richard Best 302

2-year term

Linda Combs (unopposed) 489

Wasilla City Council

Tim Burney (unopposed) 570

Mike Dryden (unopposed) 586