“We can and must work together in an atmosphere of courtesy, respect, backed in civility.” MSB Assembly certifies elections, swears in members

On Tuesday, the Matanuska Susitna Borough (MSB) certified the results from the November 7 elections during a special meeting before the regular MSB Assembly meeting later that evening.

Teresa Thompson, Chair of the Canvass Board, reported to the Assembly that 9.53% of the MSB registered voters cast their ballots either in-person, absentee, or early voting. She went on to say that of the 10,643 votes cast, 44 were questioned and 50 were not counted.

“It was one of the lower participations, and we did have some changes…we are not using the machines-we are doing the hand counts at the precincts,” said MSB Mayor Edna DeVries, who also expressed that she was happy that there was an opportunity for a ‘dry run’ ahead of next year’s elections.

“There will be lots of names on the ballots and bigger participation.”

Thompson went on to tell the assembly that in preparation for next year’s elections, in which they predict a 40% or better turnout of registered voters, they did rehearse with a second canvas board that examined the by-mail ballots, and discovered an interesting anomaly or two.

“They discovered a by-mail voter died the same day they mailed their ballot in. They also discovered that another by-mail voter returned their envelope empty, forgetting to put their ballot in.”

Thompson noted other oddities, including a voter who attempted to cast their ballot twice, another voter who forgot to sign their ballot, and a chairperson neglected to bring the ballots with them the morning of the elections, which could have prevented the election site from opening on time.

This year, the Borough went to hand-counting only, which Thompson said increased the need for more workers, adding an addition 126 election workers and 6 addition hand-count ‘floaters’ in case they were needed. She then warned that while this year’s off-year election was ‘relatively uneventful,’ the Borough should expect to have multiple challenges every year when elections are combined between the Borough and the state.

“I believe this is now roughly 350 positions that need filled. Since we share many election workers with the Borough and the state, we are apt to be in a lurch for workers when we hold combined elections. Adapting to the hand count system caused a spiral of updates, which created a lot of work for the staff in the clerk’s office.”

She said there were an additional 42 new ballot boxes, tables, and hand-counting tables, packing containers, paper counters that needed to be purchased this year, along with new procedure manuals to aid in all the different types of voting, along with several hours of training that were added to the workload of the volunteer election workers, not to mention the long hours and dedication of everyone in the clerk’s office.

“We appreciate each of you for your service and dedication that give all year round for our communities. And to my fellow canvass members, I personally want to thank you for all your willingness to serve. And I hope that each of you know in your heart of hearts, that you do make a difference in our communities.”

Thompson added one last note, asking for everyone to work together ahead of next year’s elections.

“We can and must work together in an atmosphere of courtesy, respect, backed in civility. Perhaps there has never been a more important time for neighbors all around the world to stand together for the common good of one another.”

Once the results were certified by the Assembly, the MSB Clerk, Lonnie McKechnie, administered the oath of office to Assembly members Dimitri Fonov and Rob Yundt, incumbents who were re-elected to their positions, as well as Bill Gamble, newly elected to represent District 5. Their terms officially begin November 27, 2023.

During the regular MSB assembly meeting later that evening, Mayor DeVries took a few moments to award him with a token of appreciation and thank out-going MSB Assemblymember Mokie Tew.

“On behalf of the Assembly and myself, and not only the voters for District 5, but all of the citizens in the Mat-Su Borough, we want to thank you for all you’ve done in your years of service.”

Other members of the Assembly offered parting comments to Tew

“I just want to thank Assembly member Tew for his years of service, it’s been a pleasure working with you,” said Assembly member Tim Hale.

“Although we have not always agreed on things, I wish you well on your endeavors and I expect calls from you when you have prices on equipment that the Borough is buying, so you can tell me what the actual price should be,” said Assembly member Stephanie Nowers, who was unable to express her thanks in person.

Assembly members expressed similar comments and gratitude for his contributions and ideas over the past three years.

Meanwhile, MSB Manager Michael Brown noted that he, Yundt, and Tew all came to work for the Borough within days of each other.

“We’ve been on this journey in this learning curve a bit. I don’t think the public truly appreciated the sacrifice that our elected officials make. You all don’t get paid a lot, and you have a lot of people calling you, wanting things, and you give a lot of your time. I appreciate that Mokie. I’ve always known where you’re coming from. You’ve never left me guessing in that, and that means a lot because it makes my job a whole lot easier,” said Brown.

“It has been a pleasure and I have really enjoyed it,” said Tew, who recalled his early challenges speaking from the dais when he started. “Before I started on the Assembly, to speak in the public, there was no way I could do that. Through this process, you have helped me out that way. Brought me a lot of inner strength to talking in public. One thing I’m very proud of is in the Big Lake area is that I fought for roads, and I fought for roads, and I fought for roads. And I’ll keep fighting for the roads,” he said. He also thanked the Borough for allowing the Big Lake RSA to expand from 3 members to 5, giving more voice to the people in the community.

Assembly member Fonov said he appreciated that Tew was fearless and didn’t tiptoe around efforts to change his opinion on issues.

“I’m going to miss that. But I also am going to look forward, working with new assembly member Bill (Gamble) and continue on the path that we’ve started.”

The regularly scheduled MSB Assembly meeting for December 5 was cancelled; there will be a joint MSB Assembly/School Board meeting on December 12 at the MSB School District administration building at 6 p.m.