In a recent article, I encouraged Homer residents to support the three conservative candidates running for the city council. I hope this alone motivates people to get out and vote on Oct. 7. However, there are propositions on the borough ballot that are also important to conservatives. They relate to how we tax ourselves and the timing and method for conducting elections.

For Homer residents, you will be getting two ballots—one for the city council and one for the borough election. To help individuals unfamiliar with the issues on the ballots next week, here are some suggestions for conservatives to consider. If you have elderly relatives who worry about getting confused by the ballot language, print out this article and give it to them to take to the polling place when they vote.

The Candidates for Homer City Council

As discussed previously, three seats will be filled in this election, but it is kind of confusing how the city conducts this election. Voters vote for one candidate for the seat with a one-year term and vote for two candidates for the seats with three-year terms. The above picture shows a completed ballot with the center-right candidates highlighted.

THE ONE-YEAR SEAT

Mike Jones is the conservative candidate for this seat. You can read about his candidacy here.

THE THREE-YEAR SEATS (2)

You get to pick two candidates for these seats, essentially voting twice. Be sure to fill in two names for the candidates you wish to be on the city council for the three-year seats. Seward’s Folly recommends that Elias Garvey and John Mink should both be selected to fill these seats.

Borough Propositions

The Borough ballot will have both front and back sides, so be sure to fill out both sides.

PROPOSITION 1

This proposition eliminates the use of electronic voting machines in local elections, meaning that after the polls close, the ballots would be hand-counted by real people. This issue was placed on the ballot by citizen initiative, and supporters say that there have been examples in other states of machines tabulating votes incorrectly, and this initiative is an effort to avoid that happening here. Seward’s Folly says vote YES on this proposition.

 PROPOSITION 3 – Give Senior Citizens a Break on Property Taxes

This increases the amount of tax exemption seniors over 65 are eligible for on their annual property taxes by a small amount. This proposition is an attempt to shield seniors from the impact of inflation, which is constantly raising their property taxes. Often, seniors have owned their homes for years, but find they are no longer affordable because taxes are based on borough assessments that have increased due to inflation. The tax burden becomes increasingly onerous for them. This proposition won’t impact the amount of borough property tax collected very much, but could mean a great deal to seniors living on a fixed income. Seward’s Folly says vote YES on this proposition.

PROPOSITION 4 – Automatically Raises Taxes in the Future

There is a cap on sales taxes on the Kenai Peninsula. You only pay taxes on the first $500 of a purchase. This limit is only reached when someone buys a big-ticket item. The borough wants to tie the sales tax cap to automatically increase with inflation. While the argument for raising the tax cap may have merit, Seward’s Folly is opposed to any tax that automatically increases in the future. If the borough wants the tax cap raised, it needs to propose a new limit and put it on the ballot for approval by the voters, and yes, they need to put it to the voters every time they raise taxes. Say NO to automatic tax increases.

PROPOSITION 5 – Moves Election Day from October to November

One election issue that surprises voters is that we hold borough and city elections in October, instead of on the first Tuesday in November, as is done for Presidential elections. This catches some voters by surprise, and they miss the opportunity to vote. Proposition 5 moves the borough and city election days to be held on the first Tuesday in November. Seward’s Folly supports voting YES on this issue.

The borough and city elections next week (Oct. 7) are very important. Not only are there good conservative candidates running for office, but several propositions need your support. There were more than enough people at the memorial for Charlie Kirk to swing this election to the right. It is time to make that happen!

The views expressed here are those of Greg Sarber. Read more Sarber posts at his Seward’s Folly substack.

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