Kodiak residents split over code change that could seat assembly winner Jeremy Williamson

Kodiak residents split Thursday over whether the Kodiak Island Borough Assembly should rewrite its code so election winner Jeremy Williamson can take his seat. Two speakers urged the change and one opposed it at the assembly's work session, held just before a special meeting on the proposed code changes.

Williamson won a three-year seat in the Oct. 6 election, and the Canvass Board certified the results on Oct. 14, according to the 2026 Certificate of Election. He has not been sworn in. On Nov. 5, the assembly voted 5-1 to release a legal opinion saying it can't seat a winner who holds a borough service contract. Williamson's business holds one. In October, Mayor Jared Griffin said he would not fast-track a rule change that could seat him.

Borough Clerk Nova Javier said a 30-day period for the elected member ends Saturday, Nov. 14. If she does not hear from him, Javier said, the assembly could add vacating the seat to next Thursday's regular meeting so the borough can begin advertising for it.

Tuck Barney, a Kodiak resident since 1962 who was elected to the assembly four times, said the assembly has two choices. One is to change the code and deal with any perceived conflicts. The other, he said, is "to do nothing and use code and procedure to override the election." Barney said Williamson won with the third-highest vote count, 602 votes, and the assembly has a duty to honor the will of the people. "Changing code is not rocket science. It simply takes 4 votes from 4 assembly members," he said.

A caller agreed with Barney. He said the will of the voters is that Williamson be seated, and that people watching are concerned the assembly would cast aside their ballots.

Michael Bach argued the other side. He said a larger majority of voters approved Proposition 2, which created the rule 13 years ago, and that the proposed changes are too narrow. "I think that we're changing code for a singular person," Bach said. He said the root cause is that Williamson's name should not have appeared on the ballot, and he urged the borough to fix that so it doesn't happen again. Bach said he likes the code as it stands, which he said almost 1,000 residents voted for.