Mat-Su Voters Turn Down Governing Style Change

Ellen Lockyer, KSKA – Anchorage

Matanuska Susitna Borough voters turned down a bid to change the borough’s governing style Tuesday while they elected two new Borough Assembly members. There are over 2,000 Absentee and Questioned ballots.

Unofficial Borough election results show Proposition One, which would have repealed the weak mayor form of government in favor of a strong mayor, failed at the polls with 4,711  voting yes and 5,322 voting no.

Voters also overwhelmingly rejected Proposition Five with 7,732 no votes and 2,635 yes votes.  Proposition Five is a ballot proposal allowing the Borough to opt out of Alaska Public Offices Commission campaign finance disclosure regulations in favor of a Borough disclosure statement.

Proposition Three, $33.9 million in school capital improvement bonds passed by a narrow margin, 5,542 voters saying yes and 5,037 saying no.

Transportation bonds did not fare so well, as voters rejected $33 million in road construction bonds by way of 5,328 no votes and 5,068 yes votes.

5,931 voters also turned down $9 million in bonds for sports track and field improvements – 4,446 voters were for the bonds.

Warren Keogh won the District One Assembly seat with 857 votes. George Rauscher was second with 682 votes.

Noel Woods upset incumbent Pete Houston for the District Two Assembly seat. Woods pulled 819 votes over Houston’s 457 votes.

Borough School Board Seats:
Seat C — Susan Pougher ran unopposed
Seat F — Neal Lacy
Seat G — Lynn Gattis

A little over 18 percent of Valley voters turned out at the polls on Tuesday.

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