Fairbanks North Star Borough (FNSB) Assembly candidate and local plumber J.T. McComas-Roe is suspending his bid for municipal office. And he says he will return funds to those who contributed to his campaign.
McComas-Roe announced the decision at the beginning of the Interior Taxpayer’s Association candidate forum on Tuesday. In a prepared speech, he said the assembly race is using up more time than he anticipated.
“I grossly underestimated the time that this endeavor, if done well, would take from my family and my customers, both of whom have already suffered for want of my full attention,” he said.
McComas-Roe applauded those who remain in the contest but said that campaigning doesn’t appeal to him.
“The prospect of spending the next seven weeks selling myself to strangers who are naturally suspicious of politicians is most disagreeable to me,” he said.
His decision whittles the race down to two candidates for the FNSB Assembly seat currently held by Mindy O’Neall, who is terming out. The candidates still actively vying for her spot are veterinarian Jeanne Olson and elementary school teacher Garrett Armstrong.
McComas-Roe is not the first candidate to drop a bid for local office this municipal election season, but he is the first to do so after the withdrawal deadline, which was Aug. 5. That means his name will still appear on the ballot come October.
Two other candidates who initially filed for open seats in this year’s municipal elections had their names withdrawn before the deadline, so they will not appear on voters’ ballots. Will Hutto is no longer running for FNSB Assembly against incumbent Brett Rotermund, leaving Rotermund unopposed.
And James Begg, who’d looked to join the City of Fairbanks mayoral race, was pulled from the contest. The city clerk’s office says that’s because they could not verify that he met the residency requirements for candidacy. That leaves a one-on-one race for Fairbanks city mayor between incumbent David Pruhs and O’Neall, the borough assembly’s current presiding officer.
Also up for grabs this year in Fairbanks area elections are a third seat on the borough assembly, two seats on the school district’s board of education, two Fairbanks City Council seat and four North Pole City Council seats.
Candidates in those races have not changed since the filing period ended in July. Election Day is Oct. 7, and early voting begins Sept. 22.