With election over, it's time

to move forward

Congratulations to all candidates who emerged victorious from Tuesday's election. It's been a long and often contentious journey down the campaign trail, but now the people have spoken and life can proceed apace from here.

What, exactly, can be discerned from the collective voice is up to individuals to decide. What we do know is that, boroughwide, less than 25 percent of registered voters participated.

It has become something of a cliché after any election to bemoan low voter turnout. But it is an issue that seems to gain more traction with each election.

Nonetheless, it defies easy explanation. And any attempt to push all blame to &#8221apathetic“ voters is too simplistic.

As with any such issue, there is likely plenty of blame to go around. Elected officials and the parties and special interests that fund them would do well to look inward for reasons, too.

Of more tangible concern, local businesswoman Cindy Bettine was handed a clear victory for the Borough Assembly's District 5 seat on Tuesday night. The other seat up for grabs - in District 4 - won't be fully decided until next week, when absentee and questioned ballots are counted.

Incumbent Mary Kvalheim held a paper-thin 11-vote lead over challenger Greg Koskela after Tuesday voting. With some 2,000 outstanding ballots still to account for, the race's outcome can go either way.

Regardless of how it turns out, we hope good sportsmanship will prevail in the aftermath and everyone can move forward with a sense of purpose and no hard feelings.

In Wasilla, voters gave incumbent Mayor Dianne M. Keller a second term by a convincing margin. Keller was elected three years ago at a time when the city was approaching a crossroads.

Her management of the explosive growth in and around the city has resulted in an expansion of the tax base, a decrease in property taxes and more of the amenities of suburban living. The direction Keller has taken the city has resonated with voters.

Her vision for the next three years, however, will now require the assistance of a new City Council for full realization. The makeup of that council, with newcomers Marty Metiva and Steve Menard, is likely to be a bit more independent-minded than the previous council.

The two newly elected councilors join incumbents Mark Ewing and Diana Straub, two frequent Keller critics, and Howard O'Neil and Ron Cox, two Keller allies. Lacking the consistent rubber stamp she enjoyed during her first term, Keller may have to adopt a more diplomatic approach to implementing the vision she articulated during the campaign.

It is our hope that dissenters will be respectful and substantive. And that any conflict of opinion will be worked out in a spirit of fairness, which recognizes that the public good should always be prioritized over personal differences.

We look forward to the coming months and covering the news that follows this election.