Two seats on the Wasilla City Council are open for election.

For people desiring the chance to serve the community and possibly effect change, and live within the city of Wasilla, the time is now as there are 2 seats on City Council that are open for election in the October regular election.

Council Seat E and F open for election, both 3-year terms, and the period in which to file a Declaration of Candidacy and other required forms is July 18 to 29.

Beginning on July 13, candidate filing forms will be available for download from the Candidates page or pickup from the City Clerk’s Office.

To be eligible to run as a council member, a person must meet certain criteria, including be a resident of Wasilla, or of territory annexed to the city, for 1 year immediately prior to the election. Candidates may be required to provide proof of residency as required by the city clerk.

Additional eligibility criteria is that a person must be registered and in all other respects qualified to vote in city elections as required by the City Clerk, meaning candidates must be years of age or older, a citizen of the United States, has been a resident of the state and of the district for at least 30 days just before the election, and cannot be registered to vote in a different jurisdiction. Candidates must also comply with financial disclosure and campaign reporting requirements.

If a person has met the qualifications and would like to run, declaring candidacy is a simple as submitting a Declaration of Candidacy form to the City Clerk’s Office. It must be filed in its original form-an electronic or photo copy of the form will be rejected. And it must be notarized, which is available at the City Clerk’s Office. An Alaska Public Offices Commission, Public Official Financial Disclosure Statement, unless a current statement is on file.

Other items to remember are that candidates must declare candidacy for a specific seat, there is no fee to file to run for office, and candidates will receive a written notice of candidacy certification within four business days of filing for election.

A person can only run for one City seat or office. If after filing for office, the candidate chooses to run for a different seat or office, the candidate must submit another Declaration of Candidacy for said seat or office and a Withdrawal of Declaration of Candidacy form of the former seat or office.

For more information, visit the elections page on the City of Wasilla website, or contact the City Clerk’s Office by phone, 907-373-9090, or email clerk@cityofwasilla.gov.