Kodiak Island Borough clerk drafts ordinance to tighten Assembly vacancy rules

Applicants for a vacant Kodiak Island Borough Assembly seat would have to certify up front that they are registered voters, have lived in the borough at least a year, and are willing to file a financial disclosure after appointment, under a draft ordinance the Assembly reviewed at its Aug. 27 work session.

Borough Clerk Nova Javier said the appointment countdown would start the day the Assembly accepts a resignation, not the date the resigning member names. Applicants would use an official form rather than a letter of interest, and could file electronically, with a notarized original accepted by mail before the deadline.

Javier said the borough once had to restart a process after an appointee learned of the financial disclosure requirement and declined to file.

The draft follows Dave Johnson's resignation effective June 25 and the Assembly's July 16 appointment of Mark Vizcocho by secret ballot.

No vote was taken. Community Development Director Chris French said the Assembly had a hiccup this time around and called this a good time to clean things up. "If I can get it done by Thursday, I'll add it to the agenda," French said. The ordinance is not on the published Sept. 3 meeting agenda.