Chilkat Valley News - Serving Haines and Klukwan, Alaska since 1966

Gabe Thomas, Ben Aultman-Moore and Jerry Lapp won Tuesday's election for Haines Borough Assembly, according to unofficial results released Tuesday evening.

Thomas, an incumbent, led with 547 votes. Aultman-Moore took second with 495 votes, and Jerry Lapp, who is currently filling Caitie Rothbart's seat, placed third - for a one-year term - with 482 votes.

Margarette Jones and Bill Jurewitz came in fourth and fifth with 464 and 462 votes, respectively. And Eric Holle received 439 votes.

At most 47 ballots still could be counted during the official election canvass on Oct. 11, which leaves a chance for Jones and Jurewitz to move into second or third.

The possible outstanding votes include 17 questioned ballots and six special needs ballots that need verification, as well as 24 mail or email ballots that didn't arrive by election day. Those absentee ballots could be discarded if they weren't postmarked by Oct. 4.

With 1,014 ballots cast, voter turnout was 42%, up slightly from 41% on election night last year. The average turnout over the past decade, based on final tallies, is 44.6%. Mayoral elections tend to drive the highest numbers of voters to the polls.

Thomas said he was surprised by the low turnout. "It just seemed like people didn't know it was going on," he said.

As for celebrating the win, Thomas said "nothing crazy" was in store, other than a few beers and a day off work. "I wasn't stressed until I got off work yesterday (and was) waiting, waiting, waiting. Then the weight lifted. And I slept," he said Wednesday morning.

"As far as what's next, let's keep going. We've got a lot of work to continue at Haines Borough," he said.

Lapp, in an email to the CVN, said he's "feeling relieved and optimistic" and thanked his supporters. Aultman-Moore could not be reached for comment by press time.

Thomas, Jones and Lapp led at both of the borough's precincts on election day, garnering 345, 307 and 303 votes in town and 56, 52 and 48 in the upper valley. Autlman-Moore, Jurewitz and Holle received 233, 195 and 194 votes in town, while Jurewitz's 41 votes in the upper valley topped Aultman-Moore's 33 and Holle's 32.

Aultman-Moore, Jurewitz and Holle won the bulk of the absentee vote with 229, 227 and 212 respectively.

Six votes were cast for write-in candidates. Borough clerk Alekka Fullerton said she didn't know who those write-ins were. "Mickey Mouse usually does well," she said in an email. The CVN confirmed Joe Parnell received at least one of the six write-in votes.

Keely Baumgartner and Shelly Sloper were elected to the Haines Borough School District board in an uncontested contest, receiving 773 and 758 votes respectively.

The new assembly members will be sworn in on Oct. 25.