At the Regular Assembly Meeting on December 20, 2022, the Anchorage Assembly approved a pair of resolutions initiating the process to temporarily fill the anticipated vacancies of Assembly seats in the new year.
AR 2022-409 and AR 2022-410 address the upcoming vacancies of Assembly Seat C for District 2, Eagle River/Chugiak and Seat H for District 5, East Anchorage as Assembly Members Jamie Allard and Forrest Dunbar leave their seats next month to represent their constituents in the Alaska State House of Representatives and State Senate, respectively.
Member Dunbar submitted a letter of resignation to Assembly Leadership, effective January 3, 2023:
ancgov.info/AIM251-2022, and Member Allard intends to serve until she is sworn into office on January 17, 2023.
“Members Dunbar and Allard have been elected to represent their communities in Juneau,” said Assembly Chair Suzanne LaFrance, “and we wish them the best in their new roles. As they head Southeast, we have a duty to our neighbors in Eagle River/Chugiak and East Anchorage to fill their seats to ensure fair and equal representation in the months before the Regular Municipal Election.”
The process to fill each seat will begin when the Municipal Clerk publicly posts the notice of vacancy and invitation to apply for appointment for each specific seat. Filing paperwork can be found on the Municipal Elections website at
www.muni.org/elections. Prospective nominees have one week to submit an application to the Municipal Clerk’s Office by hand or via email to elections@anchorageak.gov.
Office of the Municipal Clerk
632 W 6th Ave., Ste. 250
Anchorage, AK 99501
Open Tuesday - Friday
9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
MOA Election Center
619 E Ship Creek Ave., Ste. 100, Door D
Anchorage, AK 99501
Open Monday - Friday
8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Following the application deadline, the Assembly will publicly interview nominees who meet the minimum qualifications as required by AMC 2.70.020B.2. and hold a special meeting after interviews are completed to consider the appointment.
The resolutions establish that both vacancies will be filled by a majority vote of the Assembly, although the schedule to fill each seat is staggered:
Event | Seat H – District 5
East Anchorage | Seat C – District 2
Eagle River/Chugiak | Notice of Vacancy | December 28, 2022 | January 10, 2023 | Application Open | December 28, 2022 | 8am | January 10, 2023 | 8am | Application Deadline | January 4, 2023 | 5pm | January 17, 2023 | 5pm | Nominee Interviews | January 6, 2023 | 9 - 11am | January 19, 2023 | 2 - 4pm | Special Meeting | January 6, 2023 | 12pm | January 19, 2023 | 4pm |
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The appointees will serve until certification of the April 4, 2023 Regular Municipal Election, when both seats will be presented to the qualified voters of each district to elect an Assembly member to serve the balance of the term as required by Municipal Charter 7.02(b).
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