Updated at 6:30 p.m.
Results rolled in for the boroughwide regular election Tuesday showing voters favoring a shift on the Haines assembly, though the results could flip before the counting is over.
Currently in the lead on the assembly is Cheryl Stickler, with an 81 votes over the candidate with the second highest total, Mark Smith.
Stickler, whose lead is unlikely to change, said Wednesday morning that she did not find out about her win until she woke up and a friend texted her the results. She said she stayed up late Tuesday waiting but ultimately “decided to go to bed and rest and let happen what was going to happen.”
Stickler said she sees the unofficial election results as a clear message that change is desired community-wide. For her that means getting fully up to speed on the borough’s capital projects like the Lutak Dock.
“Getting the intimate details of how we got to where we are,” she said. “Then moving forward and out of where we are.”
Currently, the Haines borough and its contractor — Turnagain Marine Construction — are headed into mediation over the contract to build the dock.
Stickler said she was looking forward to being involved in those discussions.
“The result of mediation is that you find that compromise, that happy medium, that suits everybody’s needs. It might not be everybody’s wants, but everybody should get what they need out of a mediation,” she said.
“I definitely appreciate the people who voted for me,” she said. “And, I appreciate the people who didn’t vote for me. I appreciate the votes.”
Stickler also said she wanted to congratulate Mark Smith and Richard Clement for their strong early leads. Smith has 568 votes, to Clement’s 564.
Incumbents Debra Schnabel and Natalie Dawson are close enough behind with Schnabel pulling in 542 votes and Dawson 537. That means that the results of the remaining uncounted ballots could shift the rankings.
Newcomer Nora Zimmerly pulled in 431 votes, according to early results.
The assembly will canvas on Tuesday, Oct. 8 to finalize the count; candidates can challenge the results before the new candidates are sworn-in. There are up to 41 ballots remaining to be counted at that time.
On the planning commission, longtime politician Jerry Lapp and incumbent Eben Sargent are in the lead, with Joe Parnell trailing far enough behind that it would be difficult for him to edge Sargent out of the race even if all of the remaining uncounted votes were to go to him.
While on the school board, incumbents Kari Johnson, who received 686 votes, Brian Clay, with 611 votes, and Michael Wald, with 611 votes, lead with Rebecca Hylton trailing far enough behind, with 525 votes, that it would be difficult for her to catch up and win a seat.
Voters appeared to heavily favor increasing the property tax exemption to $300,000 for some residents including those who are 65 year old or older, disabled veterans whose disability has been rated at 50 percent or more, and 60-year-old residents who are widows or widowers of a person who qualified for an exemption.
However, vote totals for the property tax exemption question only contained results from precinct 2 and absentee ballots. On Wednesday morning Deputy Borough Clerk Kiersten Long reported that in Precinct 1: 325 people voted for the increased exemption and 208 people voted against it – for a total of 533 votes cast in that district.
That updates the unofficial result totals to 639 people voting for the exemption and 442 people voting against it borough-wide.
Overall, the voter turnout rate stands at about 47%.
Update 9 a.m.
Borough officials left a column of votes out of the unofficial results of the election they reported late Tuesday evening.
On Wednesday morning, Deputy Clerk Kiersten Long reported precinct 1 vote totals on the senior property tax exemption.
They are 325 yes votes, 208 no votes for a total of 533 people voting in Precinct 1. That means that voters still chose to increase the senior property tax exemption for some residents residents including those who are 65-years-old or older, disabled veterans whose disability has been rated at 50 percent or more, and 60-year-old residents who are widows or widowers of a person who qualified for an exemption.
Updated at 11 p.m. on Tuesday
Early results are in showing Richard Clement, Mark Smith and Cheryl Stickler in the lead for seats on the borough assembly over incumbents Natalie Dawson and Debra Schnabel.
On the planning commission Jerry Lapp and Eben Sargent are in the lead while on the school board incumbents Brian Clay, Kari Johnson and Michael Wald are ahead of newcomer Rebecca Hylton.
Additionally voters also appear to heavily favor increasing the property tax exemption to $300,000 for qualified residents.
Those results come with the caveat that absentee-by-mail ballots can still come in as late as Oct. 10 – there are 25 that could be returned. So, another 41 ballots could be counted at the Election Canvass which is scheduled for Tuesday, Oct. 8 during the borough assembly’s regular meeting.
With that number of outstanding ballots, assembly race results could still shift, but the results of the planning commission, school board and initiative votes are not as likely to change.
Original story:
Polls are open in Haines until 8 p.m. on Tuesday evening, as voters decide which candidates will fill three open seats on the borough assembly, two seats on the planning commission, three seats on the school board, and whether to increase the property tax exemption from $150,000 to $300,000 for some residents.
Borough officials say they’ll have initial, though unverified, results late Tuesday evening – which the Chilkat Valley News will post as they become available.
Assembly candidates include incumbent Debra Schnabel and Natalie Dawson hoping to serve again alongside Richard Clement, Mark Smith, Cheryl Stickler and Nora Zimmerly. Three seats are open.
On the planning commission, incumbent Eben Sargent is in the running as are Jerry Lapp and Joe Parnell.
And on the school board four candidates – incumbents Brian Clay, Kari Johnson, and Michael Wald, are competing with newcomer Rebecca Hylton for three open seats.
Voters will also decide whether to increase the property tax exemption for qualified Haines residents from $150,000 to $300,000.