*Update: These elections results have been canvassed by the Nome City Council, as of November 7th, and are now considered official.
Nome voted Larry Pederson to Utility Board Seat D after a run-off municipal election Tuesday. Out of 152 votes cast, Pederson took 98. His opponent, Gerald Hughes, had 54 votes.
When the regular Municipal Election took place on October 1st, that seat on the utility board sat totally open without a candidate on the ballot, prompting many Nome voters to opt for a “write-in.”
Under city ordinance, a candidate must have 50% of the votes plus one to win the seat. Neither Pederson nor Hughes, the candidates with the most write-ins during the municipal election, met that criteria at the time.
Therefore, City Clerk Bryant Hammond and Deputy Clerk Christine Piscoya were able to hand-count the votes in less than 15 minutes Tuesday night. They found six absentee ballots, no questioned ballots, and all voters selected one of the two specified candidates.
Larry Pederson is the Vice-President of Nome Operations for Bering Straits Native Corporation. He also currently holds seat E on the Nome Planning Commission.
*These run-off election results are unofficial until certified by the Nome City Council.*
Image at top: Deputy Clerk Christine Piscoya and City Clerk Bryant Hammond hand count ballots for Utility Board Seat “D”. Photo from Emily Hofstaedter, KNOM (2019).
