The candidate filing period for the October 7 Fairbanks area municipal elections closed Tuesday. That means, barring withdrawals, the field is set for Fairbanks North Star Borough (FNSB) School Board, FNSB Assembly, City of Fairbanks and City of North Pole races.
Two seats – with three-year terms – are up for grabs on the school district's board of education. And they’re both shaping up to be one-on-one races.
Current member Brandy Harty is not seeking reelection to Seat C. Small business owner Audra Hull and oil and gas industry project manager Sam Spencer are squaring off to replace her.
And for Seat D, journeyman lineman Naomi Hewitt will challenge current School Board President Melissa Burnett.
Over in the borough assembly, candidates will vie for three available spots.
Fairbanks business owner Will Hutto is currently slated to challenge incumbent Brett Rotermund for Seat B. But Hutto told KUAC Wednesday he recently got a new contract and plans to withdraw. That would leave Rotermund’s bid uncontested.
The story is looking different for Seat C. The three-way race will task borough voters with choosing between North Pole veterinarian Jeanne Olson, teacher and past assembly candidate Garrett Armstrong and local plumber J.T. McComas-Roe.
Last up is seat I, where public defender Patrick Roach will face off against incumbent Barbara Haney.
All of the assembly terms will be for three years.
In the City of Fairbanks, Mayor David Pruhs is running for reelection against two challengers. Current Borough Assembly Presiding Officer Mindy O’Neall is terming out of her assembly seat and now making a move for city mayor. And James Begg has also filed to enter the race.
Two council seats will appear on the ballot for City of Fairbanks voters, as well. Current member Sue Sprinkle is looking to keep hold of Seat C in a contest with Fairbanks resident Hannah Ekalook. And incumbent Crystal Tidwell is on track to retain her spot on the council, since she’s the only candidate for Seat D.
Each of the Fairbanks council and mayoral terms also will last three years.
The same is not true for the four open council seats in the City of North Pole. Two of those terms are for a three-year period, but one will be for two years, and one for one year.
The pair of shortened terms are a consequence of former council members stepping away from their seats early. But that’ll add an element of competition to the mix in an election that may not have attracted much voter interest.
That’s because four candidates – David Skipps, Sandra Rolfe, Jordan Schuster and David Brandt – filed to fill the four council seats, so they’re all on course to claim one. But the candidate with the fewest votes will get the one-year term, and the person who earns the second fewest votes will get the two-year term.
The deadline for candidates to withdraw is Aug. 5.
This story has been updated to remove a reference to James Begg as a Fairbanks resident. The City of Fairbanks Clerk's Office was not able to confirm that he met the residency requirements for candidacy, and his name will not appear on the ballot.