Just twelve ballots decided two separate races in Petersburg today. At the Borough Assembly’s regular meeting on October 9th, the uncounted ballots determined winners for both an assembly and a public safety advisory board seat.
Borough Clerk Debra Thompson and Deputy Borough Clerk Becky Regula meticulously cut open the yet-uncounted ballots.
Twelve of the 24 unopened absentee ballots were completed and returned.The state of Alaska rejected four questioned ballots. When the polls closed on October 3rd, assembly candidate Rick Perkins had a five-point lead on his opponent, Jeigh Stanton Gregor.
At the final count, Stanton Gregor overtook him — by just one vote. Stanton Gregor got the news on vacation in Montana. He said he listened to the live broadcast of the assembly meeting while perched on a pile of rocks in the sunshine — tallying the votes as they came in.
“I’m obviously still in a little bit of shock,” said Stanton Gregor. “The last week was really stressful for a lot of people, including myself. I thought, personally, it’d be a little much to overcome when I learned there’s twelve [uncounted ballots.] So, at this point, I’m filled with shock and a huge deep sense of gratitude for people who believe in me enough to cast the vote for me in that role in the assembly.”
Stanton Gregor served on the Borough Assembly from 2014 to 2022, and will return to the table after having lost his seat to Assembly Member Donna Marsh last year. He’ll swear in for his new term at the next regular meeting on October 16th.
Rob Schwartz, a newcomer to local politics, took the other seat on the assembly. He won about 100 more votes over his opponents. Schwartz is a retired teacher and wrestling coach for the Petersburg School District, and now owns Seek Alaska Tours, a tour and transport business in Petersburg. As his very first assembly meeting concluded, Schwartz thanked his supporters — as well as his opponent, Jeff Meucci, who lost his bid for reelection.
“[I want to] Thank Mr. Meucci for all his decades of service, his work on the election,” said Schwartz. “It’s humbling — it’s a humbling job and, [there’s] lots to learn. There’s gonna be a lot of people to talk to. It’s good to be the one to represent people well, and see a lot of different sides of things, and try to be reasonable and realistic.”
The final count also decided the results of one seat on the public safety advisory board. Incumbent board member Stan Hjort maintained his narrow lead over his opponent, Jacob Slaven. Hjort won by just eight votes.
