Petersburg voters will have choices for mayor, assembly and hospital board seats this fall.
Borough assembly member Jeff Meucci is running against mayor Mark Jensen for the seat Jensen has held for most of the past seven years. Meucci works as a research diver with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. He was mayor of the city of Petersburg in the 1990s and also served on the city council. Jensen is a commercial fisherman and welder and also served on the city council.
There’s also a contest for two seats on the borough assembly. Four candidates submitted their paperwork by Tuesday’s deadline.
Incumbent and mental health counselor Jeigh Stanton Gregor was appointed to his seat in 2014 and has been elected twice since then. He’s seeking to return to the assembly. He’s joined by Aaron Hankins, a volunteer fire fighter. Hankins has been outspoken this year in his support for filling a vacant position in the fire department and defending equipment purchases for the volunteer department.
Former city councilor Mark Martinsen is also running again this year, his fourth try for an assembly seat since 2014. Martinsen has worked for the Petersburg Indian Association and in commercial fishing.
Another candidate is Chelsea Tremblay, who works at Sing Lee Alley Books and is on the library advisory board. She is a former intern and employee at KFSK and daughter of former city council member and KFSK board president Bill Tremblay.
The most interest this year however is for three hospital board seats. Six candidates are seeking spots on that board, including incumbents George Doyle, a realtor, and Cindi Lagoudakis, former mayor and U.S. Forest Service retiree. The others seeking those seats are business owner Lisa Nilsen and Fish and Game crab biologist Joe Stratman, along with former Fish and Game employee Jackie Tyson. Another candidate is Stacey Thorsen, who has worked at the medical center and as deputy magistrate along with serving on the local school board.
There’s no interest in the two seats on the planning commission. Incumbents Otis Marsh and Yancey Nilsen did not file for re-election.
The rest of the vacant seats have takers but no contested spots. Casey Knight and Scott Roberge are uncontested for two seats on the harbor board. Incumbents Gina Esposito, Barb Fish and Alec McMurren will return to the library board as will incumbents Devren Bennett and Laurie Miller on the public safety board.
Petersburg’s election is Tuesday, October 1st.
