Lame-duck assembly members try to switch election schedule, to the detriment of local government

Right-wing members of the borough assembly accept it as a matter of faith that they would have a better chance of winning elections if the municipal elections are moved from October to November.

But there is a good reason for keeping the schedule as it is. And it has nothing to do with theories about gaining or losing political advantage.

The local contests for assembly, school board, city council and mayor—as well as municipal initiatives and bond issuess—deserve more public attention, not less.

That takes time, which is only available with a municipal election schedule that does not have to compete with statewide issues and national elections. Those always overpower municipal contests.

Local issues are guaranteed to get less attention if local elections are held at the same time as the state and federal elections that will consume all the time, money and political oxygen.

A combined election would make it more difficult to generate informed discussions about local government issues that directly impact the lives of everyone in the Fairbanks area. A lot of voters will have no clue about the candidates.

The lame-duck borough assembly is to consider an ordinance Thursday by Tammie Wilson, who was defeated at the polls last week, to move borough elections to November. With the change, the borough would have to buy $190,000 of new election equipment that it could no longer borrow from the state.

The ordinance should be defeated because it would damage local government and reduce civic engagement.

The last time this came up was in 2022, when Wilson, Frank Tomaszewski, Aaron Lojewski and Jimi Cash pushed for the change and lost 5-4.

One of Tomaszewski’s losing arguments was that voters would not be exposed to as many campaign ads if we had all the elections in November.

Those who supported the current schedule included Kristan Kelly, Savannah Fletcher, David Guttenberg, Matt Cooper and Mindy O’Neall.

Wilson, Cash and Lojewski are leaving the assembly, but want to force this change before the door closes on them.

The claim is that “moving local elections to the highly visible federal and state election date will be a convenience for voters” and this will “save voters valuable time and money.”

Nonense. Moving local elections would end the valuable tradition of allowing local candidates and local issues to emerge as a focus of community discussion in the month or so preceding the local election.

If the lame-duck assembly approves this measure, the new assembly should introduce an ordinance to undo the damage and retain the October municipal election tradition.

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