Still too close to call

WASILLA — Local attorney Verne Rupright is confident he has the votes to beat Marty Metiva for Wasilla mayor after Tuesday’s runoff.

“He needs 115 of the 156 votes left to count to beat me,” Rupright said Thursday afternoon. “And I know two of them, me and my wife. And I’m pretty sure of 46 others. Eight or nine of them were standing on the corner with me. The others have my signs in their yards. I would hope they voted for me.”

As of 8:30 p.m. Tuesday evening, Rupright had received 388 votes, or 55.3 percent, to Metiva’s 314 votes, or 44.7 percent. After the outstanding votes are counted, the final results will be determined during the city’s Canvassing Board meeting today.

The new mayor will be sworn in Monday at Wasilla City Hall. The time will be posted today on the city’s web page.

Two days after the election, Rupright said he’s feeling “pretty good” about his chances, even though those 156 mystery votes are still not counted.

“Statistacally, those votes should follow the votes already counted,” Rupright said.

The likely mayoral winner said earlier in the week that while some supporters and critics of both candidates became more vocal near the end of the campaign, he feels negativity between him and Metiva was non-existent.

“I encourage Marty to stay involved if that’s what he plans to do,” Rupright said.

Metiva commented ealier that he was still holding out hope that the votes would turn his way and earn an upset in the final count.

“We had fun,” Metiva said. “We ran a good race and we kept our head high.”

Metiva had faced scrutiny from critics just days before the run-off election and a cadre of Wasilla residents seemed bent on denying him the mayor’s seat. Metiva, in an interview with the Frontiersman, addressed the concerns of some voters and maintained he was running for mayor because he wants what’s best for Wasilla.

Whether Rupright will maintain his lead after the remaining ballots are counted is unclear, but per the unofficial results Tuesday, he is on the way to becoming mayor.

Metiva said even if he isn’t elected he still plans to stay involved with the city and do what he can to make it a great place to live.

“This is a great community,” he said.