Northern Valley to vote on single, uncontested race in borough election

The Mat-Su Borough has sent out its election information brochure for 2019, and there’s not much to see for Northern Valley residents.

The borough election will be held on November 5^th. In the past, borough elections were held in October, but voters chose to change the election date to coincide with state and national elections last year. The Northern Susitna Valley, has only one item on the ballot, a school board seat.  In recent years, school district seats have gone from being at-large positions voted on by the entire borough to having the same district boundaries as borough assembly seats.  Only one candidate, Jeff V. Taylor of Wasilla, will be on November’s ballot.

Other borough residents will have more to vote on.  Districts 1 and 2 are electing new assembly members.  Four candidates are running in each race.  Districts 2 and 5 are also electing school board members, with two candidates running in each race.

Since there are no ballot issues for this year’s elections, residents of Districts 3 and 4 will not participate in this year’s borough election.

This year, the borough election will be the only one held on November 5^th.  Next year, however, state and federal elections will also fall on the same date as the Mat-Su Borough election.  Sharing election day with the state will raise logistical issues, according to Mat-Su Borough Clerk Lonnie McKechnie.  She says those issues will be explored after next month’s election.