Final voter tally reveals results in Palmer and Houston city council races
The races were too close before a final count was released Friday night.
What you need to know:
- In Houston, incumbents Carter Cole, Laurie Faubert and Kent Mitchell all retained their council seats, final election results show. In Palmer, incumbent John Alcantra retained his city council seat, while Victoria Hudson was newly elected to fill the seat vacated by Pamela Melin.
- The election was held Tuesday, Oct. 1, but a final count was not available until late Friday.
- Borough elections for mayor, assembly and school board are scheduled for Nov. 5, coinciding with national and state elections.
PALMER – Incumbents in Houston City Council races pulled ahead to secure victories under a final vote tally updated late Friday, and a new council member is set to join the dais in Palmer, final results show.
Update: Recount pending in Houston city council race.
Palmer, Houston and Wasilla held their elections Tuesday. While preliminary results were available when the polls closed, races in Houston and Palmer were too close to call because absentee and early ballots had not yet been counted. Candidates in Wasilla ran unopposed.
In Houston, incumbent Seat C council member Carter Cole, who also serves as mayor, retained his seat with 154 votes to Wayne Oliver's 116. Incumbent Seat G Council Member Laurie Faubert retained her seat with 133 votes, narrowly defeating write-in candidates who received 131 votes. Kent Mitchell, the incumbent for Seat D, defeated write-in candidates 179-73.
Houston voters do not elect a mayor. Instead, city council members elect the mayor from among themselves each year. That vote is expected later this month.
In Palmer, where voters chose two candidates from a list of five, incumbent John Alcantra was re-elected with 179 votes, while newcomer Victoria Hudson was elected to the council with 147 votes. Hudson fills a seat vacated by Pamela Melin, who did not seek re-election.
In Wasilla, incumbent council members Stuart Graham and Cathy Cottle ran unopposed.
There were no propositions or ballot questions in any of the city elections. Voter turnout was about 15% in Houston, 4.5% in Palmer and 3% in Wasilla.
Houston will certify its election results at a meeting on Monday, and Palmer will certify its results on Tuesday. Wasilla's results are expected to be certified Oct. 14.
Borough elections for mayor, assembly and school board are scheduled for Nov. 5, coinciding with national and state elections.
-- Amy Bushatz can be contacted at abushatz@matsusentinel.com.
