Tew wins assembly seat in District 5

PALMER — Clayton ‘Mokie’ Tew’s 11-vote lead over Lisa Behrens in the race for the Mat-Su Borough Assembly seat in District 5 has gone unchanged after a recount of the votes was conducted on Tuesday. Tew will be sworn in as the new assembly member for District 5 at a special meeting of the assembly on Nov. 27 at 5 p.m.

“I was happy and relieved that it was over and that all the counting is done and I can now get to work,” said Tew. “I totally understood with such tight margins that the runner up would request a recount.”

In 2017, Tew lost the race for District 5 to Dan Mayfield, who just finished his term as assemblyman and lost in the race for Senate District D to Sen. David Wilson. Tew’s total of 1,312 was confirmed after a recount by the Canvass Board. Lisa Behrens received 1,301 votes. The only change in votes reported was one additional vote for Mike Alexander, who finished third with 939 votes. Ken Koch received 433 votes.

“The second time, this go round with the recount, I was secure that it would come out the way it did come out. The first time I was way more anxious not knowing how it was going to go and of course I was behind and I am the one that requested a recount and this time I was ahead and the runner up requested the recount, but I was confident that the borough did a great job in counting their ballots and certifying all their ballots,” said Tew. “I’m really excited that a lot more people went out and voted.”

After Ted Leonard chose not to run for reelection in Assembly District 4, Rob Yundt II was sworn in as the assembly member for that district last week. Tew is excited to get to work on the assembly and focus on his two top priorities which are jobs and the borough budget.

“People are really concerned about the budget and I haven’t met anybody that doesn’t want to pay taxes but people want to feel that they’re getting what they are paying for,” said Tew. “Everybody that’s in the Valley would probably echo that exact thing I think, not just District 5. Everybody that’s here wants to see us prosper and the only way we can prosper is to grow.”