Winners: Wheeler, Sanford, Ridgeway

Two new faces will take seats on the Juneau Assembly this fall, based on preliminary results from Tuesday's city election.

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Areawide Assembly member Marc Wheeler was the sole incumbent to win back a seat. He had 3,992 votes (56 percent) to 3,127 for Chuck Collins, a margin of 865 votes. Juneau School Board member Stan Ridgeway won the District 2 race with 3,837 votes (55 percent) compared to incumbent Don Etheridge's 3,088.

With 3,808 votes (54 percent), Juneau Planning Commissioner Merrill Sanford won the District 1 race by 515 votes. District 1 incumbent Frankie Pillifant had 3,293 votes.

For more Juneau Empire coverage of the October 1 municipal elections, please visit the Juneau Empire Elections Guide.

"I'm really happy," Sanford said, surrounded by family in the Dzantik'i Heeni Middle School commons after watching the election returns. "That's what I hoped for, what I wanted to see happen. I want to move forward, get on the Assembly and get moving."

Turnout in Tuesday's election was 29.6 percent of registered voters and will go up slightly when additional absentee and questioned ballots are added into the total. Election workers counted 546 absentee ballots Tuesday night and will count more later this week. The total number of outstanding questioned and absentee ballots should be available this afternoon, according to the city clerk's office.

The election will be certified Oct. 8. Preliminary precinct-by-precinct totals are available on juneauempire.com.

Sanford, a retired Capital City Fire and Rescue chief, said his family connections may have given him a leg up in the race. He said he was "humbled" by Tuesday's results.

"Frankie did a lot of good things for the city, I think that maybe because I've lived here for a longer time and was well-known and from a well-known family definitely helped," he said. "I think that just gave me a little bit of an advantage."

Sanford said he'd like to start working on the city's long-range tourism plan and a new tourism committee, along with the city's transportation and parking plans. During the campaign, he advocated for better cooperation between the Assembly and other city boards and commissions.

Pillifant said she wasn't sure if there was one issue or factor that may have decided the election.

"It hasn't always been a pleasure, but I've certainly enjoyed serving on the Assembly," she said. "I'd like to take the chance to thank my chair, Cathy Botelho, and all the people who did support me. For that, it's been wonderful."

Pillifant said she could consider a run for public office in the future, but right now is interested in finishing some projects around the house and spending more time with her kids.

In the District 2 race, Ridgeway also promoted better relations between the Assembly and the School Board. The dissolution of the city's cruise ship tonnage fees and the Assembly's split decision last month to pursue completion of the Juneau Access study and a road to Skagway were other election issues, he said.

He held a 749-vote margin over Etheridge.

"I'm somewhat shocked but excited about the election," Ridgeway said. "It's a larger margin than I thought it would be. As I said before, I didn't have a lot of money. My wife and several friends helped with the campaign and we mainly went door-to-door. We did one mailing."

The Assembly's decision to renovate Juneau-Douglas High School instead of pursuing a high school in the Mendenhall Valley first may have been another deciding factor in the race, Ridgeway said.

"The first thing I'd like to try to do is build some bridges with the Assembly," he said. "We're going to have to ask for a legal opinion, bring in our lawyers and consult with the Department of Education to determine what the rules are so we quit fighting on who plans schools and who appropriates money. And once we get those issues settled then I think we can move ahead."

Etheridge said he doesn't plan another run for public office. "Nastiness" near the end of the campaign may have contributed to the outcome, he said. A representative with Marine Engineers Beneficial Association, the city's largest union, criticized Etheridge last week for his voting record and other actions.

"I don't see that I've lost anything," Etheridge said. "I wasn't in that for me, I was in for the community and the working people and that's who I figured lost out. ... I don't believe the community is ready to move forward as fast as I am. I like building things."

Areawide incumbent Wheeler held the biggest margin of victory in the three races. He attributed his win to door-to-door campaigning. He visited close to 5,000 homes from St. Ann's Avenue in Douglas to Cohen Drive in North Tee Harbor, he said.

"It seems like the high school was a big issue for folks, I think people really wanted to see the new high school built," he said. "I also talked about the need for another swimming pool out in the Valley and that resonated with a lot of folks."

Wheeler said his first priority will be making sure Juneau wins the Nov. 5 fight against a legislative session move.

"That should be our first focus," he said. "Also (the Nov. 5 election) is important for ballot measure C, the school construction bond. If that passes, it will give us enough money to build the second high school."

Collins, a local businessman who ran unsuccessfully against Assembly member Jim Powell last year, said the biggest disappointment for him was low voter turnout.

"I can't say I'm happy that I lost, but I think we ran a good race," he said. "I think we pushed a little bit for the road, so maybe they didn't see it as that big an issue. People in general may not be so worried about that capital move as I am personally, so they weren't as worried about a road."

Collins said it's possible he may run for office again, but he isn't planning to at this point.

Ridgeway, who is on the School Board, and Sanford, who sits on the Planning Commission, will step down from those boards when they join the Assembly. The Juneau School Board will appoint a replacement for Ridgeway while the Juneau Assembly will fill the vacant slot on the Planning Commission.

Juneau Assembly members make $500 a month.

Joanna Markell can be reached at joannam@juneauempire.com.