SITKA, ALASKA
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Christianson served two previous terms on the assembly beginning in 1998. He is the Resources Manager at Southeast Region Emergency Medical Services. He and his wife, Jessica, have a three-year-old and a three-month-old. Christianson told Raven News this afternoon that running for the assembly was less something he wanted to do than it was “something I needed to do.”
Christianson joins three other candidates for assembly. Incumbent Jack Ozment is seeking a third term. Political newcomers Michelle Putz and Terry Blake are seeking their first.
Seated assembly member Cheryl Westover has tossed her hat in the ring for mayor. She’ll vie for the gavel with former city assembly member and municipal administrator John Stein. Should Westover win the mayor’s seat, the remainder of her term would be filled by assembly appointment. In the past, when vacancies have been created on the assembly in this situation, the new assembly typically has appointed the next-highest vote winner in the municipal election.
Current mayor Scott McAdams is not seeking reelection to the assembly. He instead is vying for the Democratic nomination to the US Senate in the state primary election on August 24th.
Likewise, incumbent assembly member Reber Stein will not seek reelection. He is uncontested in the Democratic primary for House District 2 in the Alaska Legislature. He’ll face the Republican nominee – either incumbent Peggy Wilson or newcomer Steven Samuelson – in the general election November 2nd.
Incumbent Lon Garrison is the only candidate to file for one open seat on the Sitka school board. He is currently the president of the board, and the president-elect of the Alaska Association of School Boards.
Raven News will bring you in-depth interviews with municipal candidates in the coming weeks. Our call-in candidate and ballot question forums are scheduled for the week of September 20th. The municipal election in Sitka will be held on Tuesday, October 5th.
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