Tobacco-tax repeal referendum certified

August 7, 2005

DARRELL L. BREESE\Frontiersman reporter

PALMER - Nola Bragg, who leads the group seeking to repeal the tobacco tax approved by the Matanuska-Susitna Borough Assembly in May, got some good news Thursday.

A full week after she turned in over 3,600 petition signatures seeking to give voters a chance to repeal the tax, Mat-Su Borough Clerk Michelle McGehee announced that the Canvass Board finalized the petition canvassing process and her office had certified the petition.

Bragg, with the help of 24 other sponsors and local shop owners collected 3,628 signatures in what is believed to be a record. McGehee said told her that according to her research, it is the fastest a petition for a citizen's initiative petition has been completed and turned in that quickly in the last five years.

The rapid turnaround resulted in a few petition booklets to be questioned because they were taken apart and did not containing all of the necessary components required by statute to be circulated through the petition process.

Petition booklets that had been unstapled, were properly notarized, and were counted if signed by verified registered voters.

McGehee reported the 2,428 signatures were reviewed by the canvassing board and 1,790 were counted, two more than the required minimum.

Bragg indicated that she doesn't plan to rest now that the initiative has been certified.

"This isn't the end of it," Bragg said. "Now it's time to begin the push to get people out to vote."

Bragg and Mike Butler, owner of Up In Smoke 2.0, have organized the Citizens Against Mat-Su Tobacco Tax to campaign and rally support in the community. Bragg asked that individuals interested in helping with the campaign contact her at 376-8646 for information.

Bragg is confident that there is support among the voters to pass the measure.

"It's a topic that is still fresh in every ones mind," Bragg said. "We're waiting to see what proposition number the borough assigns us, once we have that we'll get some signs made up to make sure they don't forget."