Yesterday’s counting covered 856 absentee ballots and 468 questioned ballots in borough elections. In the Mayor’s race, John Coghill gained 557 votes Tuesday for a total of 9,280. But Hopkins, who was already ahead after Election Day counting, gained 668 votes for a total of 9,434. That put him over Coghill by only 154 votes.
The third candidate, Robert Shields also gained a handful of absentee and questioned ballot votes and won 3.62% of the vote overall.
That’s a lot of numbers, but there is more worth noting. Borough Clerk April Trickey said voter turnout was quite high at 25.22% – the highest since voters turned down a cannabis sales ban in 2017.
Hopkins said the week waiting for absentee ballots to come in was nerve-racking, even though he was 43 votes ahead.
“Still a razor thin for that week, but I was optimistic that those votes would hold and they did. So, I'm excited to get to work.”
Hopkins is an education union organizer and served in the Alaska House representing the west side of Fairbanks from 2019 to 2023.
John Coghill is a director at the Fairbanks Rescue Mission, and served in the Alaska House of Representatives, representing North Pole, from 1998 to 2009 and in the Alaska State Senate from 2009 to 2021.
Coghill says the campaign for borough mayor was cordial among the three candidates, even as it appeared to be very close between him and Hopkins.
“We had to share our differences, but the trouble is we kind of like each other. We're friends,” Coghill said.
Coghill and Hopkins’ time in the Alaska Legislature overlapped. And they share a birthday.
“Because of that, we have communicated with each other at least once a year. And when he had his kid and when he got married. So, I would say, it's going to remain an open communication,” Coghill said.
Coghill says he’s not likely to run again because of the stress it puts on his family, but he anticipates community service on a borough board or commission.
“At the end of the day, I will go back to the Rescue Mission and be available for helping,” Coghill said.
“John and I have already been talking about ways that we'll work together. I told him I'm going to be calling you to get some help on homelessness. And I think we can make some good progress working together,” Hopkins said.
Borough Election results will be certified by the Assembly at its October 24th meeting.
