Nome resident Chuck Titus, the last person to vote in the City of Nome Municipal elections, was among 470 voters who cast their ballots before 8pm on Tuesday night.
After all the votes were counted, the unofficial results showed a seasonal sales tax proposition had passed. Wesley Perkins has unofficially taken a seat on the Utility Board, and there is a potential winner for the contested City Council Seat F.
Mark Johnson secured 224 votes, just shy of 48% of the total votes cast. However, Nome City Clerk Bryant Hammond says neither Johnson nor the other candidates, Tom Okleasik or Matt Culley, gained enough percentage of the vote to prevent a runoff election in November.
“None of the candidates achieved 50% of the vote plus one, and we will have our runoff election by code on the first Tuesday of the month following the month in which the election was originally held. So this will be on Tuesday, November 1st, not the date of the national election,” reiterated Hammond.
The other City Council seat listed on the ballot was Jerald Brown’s. He will keep his seat for another three-year term. Barbara Amarok will also stay for another three years in her seat on the School Board.
Chuck Wheeler was the only candidate listed on the ballot for Utility Board Seat D, but Clerk Hammond reports only 40 votes separated Wheeler from the write-in candidates.
“For Seat D of the Nome Joint Utility Board, there were 372 votes total; Chuck Wheeler took 206 votes, there were 166 write-ins. 55.38% went to Chuck Wheeler, 44.62% went to write-ins,” stated Hammond.
Earlier this week, City Hall received a formal submission challenging Wheeler’s residency in Nome and, therefore, his eligibility to run as a candidate. The final ruling on this challenge will be given during a City Council special session along with the official election results.
Hammond explained why official election results are not yet available by saying, “…they are not official until the City Council canvasses the election, thus making the election official. And the canvassing, by code, always has to be on the first Thursday following the election.”
The special session to canvass the votes will happen in City Council Chambers on Thursday at noon.
