The Homer municipal election is over and the unofficial results are in.
Homer has a new mayor, Bryan Zak, and two new city council members, Shelly Erickson and Tom Stroozas. Voters rejected Proposition 1, saying no to a new police station in Homer.
There was a long line of voters waiting at Cowles Council Chambers on Tuesday evening, waiting to cast their ballots. Voter turnout was 32 percent in this year’s municipal election. That’s higher than the average turnout for the past four years, which was about 26 percent.
Homer City Council Member Bryan Zak won the mayoral race, defeating fellow City Council Member David Lewis by just 74 votes.
Zak spent Tuesday afternoon waving an election sign with his supporters in front of WKFL Park in Homer.
“I never quit campaigning. I never quit running the race, right up until the end,” said Zak.
Zak says he’s ready to serve as Homer City Mayor.
“Already this morning, I called over to City Hall and talked to the City Manager and let her know that I’m in it with her and with the city council, building a team as we move forward together,” said Zak.
Shelly Erickson and Tom Stroozas have been elected to Homer City Council. Erickson received 922 votes, while Stroozas took 639 votes. Candidate Kimberly Ketter came in third with 181 votes.
Newly elected City Council Member Erickson says that she’s already thinking more about the issues before the council, especially finances.
“The first thing that’s going to be in our face is going to be the budget. That’s probably going to be our first priority,” said Erickson.
As a member of the City Council, Stroozas says he will be looking for ways to increase the efficiency of city services.
“The main focus is to make sure that the city is doing everything the city needs to do in an efficient and cost-effective manner. All I can say is that I will do my very very best and give 110 percent or more to do the job as it needs to be done,” said Stroozas.
Perhaps one of the most controversial aspects of this year’s municipal election was Homer Ballot Proposition 1. Voters narrowly rejected Prop 1, with 53 percent voting no. The bond proposition would have authorized the city to borrow up to $12 million dollars to build a new police station in Homer, financed by a six-month seasonal sales tax.
The Canvass Board will meet on Friday, October 7, to count approximately 300 questioned, special needs and absentee ballots. Homer City Clerk Jo Johnson says it’s possible the outcome of the mayoral race and Homer Ballot Proposition 1 may change after these votes are counted.
The election will be certified on October 10 at the regular Homer City Council meeting, where the new mayor and city council members are scheduled to be sworn in.
Editor's note: On October 4, KBBI incorrectly reported that Candidate Tom Stroozas did not have sufficient votes to be elected to Homer City Council. According to Homer City Code, a candidate must receive at least 40% of the vote in order to be elected, which translates to 356 votes based on this year's voter turnout. Stroozas received 639 votes.