Whitaker wins Fairbanks race

In local elections around the state, Alaskans chose new mayors and decided such matters as taxes, smoking in public and access to alcohol.

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New mayors were elected Tuesday in Fairbanks, Juneau, Nome and, possibly, in the Matanuska-Susitna Borough, which was still processing hundreds of absentee and questioned ballots.

In Fairbanks, Republican state Rep. Jim Whitaker was the victor in the borough mayoral race, beating incumbent Mayor Rhonda Boyles. Gov. Frank Murkowski must now appoint a replacement to fill the House seat Whitaker has held since 1998.

Fairbanks voters decided to shrink the Fairbanks North Star Borough Assembly by two members. The reduction, from 11 to nine members, goes into effect in a year.

Fairbanks voters also rejected a local 3 percent sales tax proposal and approved a 5 percent tax on alcohol sold boroughwide.

The alcohol tax, intended to lower property taxes, applies to beverages sold outside the city of Fairbanks, where there's already a 5 percent liquor tax. In North Pole, where there's a 3 percent general sales tax, the borough will add a 2 percent tax.

The tax would take effect next summer if it survives a lawsuit filed by The Interior Cabaret, Hotel, Restaurant and Retailers Association. The case is expected to go to trial next spring.

The race for Mat-Su mayor was too close to call, although former Wasilla police chief Charlie Fannon was leading incumbent Mayor Tim Anderson by 69 votes.

But about 2,100 absentee and questioned ballots were yet to be counted.

In another Mat-Su race, Houston voters narrowly approved a 2 percent sales tax.

Elections officials said final results in the borough's races won't be in for at least a week.

In Haines, the vote on a ballot measure to lower the cap on the borough's property tax rate from 3 percent to 1 percent was nearly a tie.

Unofficial results, pending a review of absentee and questioned ballots, had the measure defeated by two votes - 374 votes against, and 372 votes for.

Prior to the election, borough officials had said lowering the cap would result in a loss of about $230,000 in revenue.

A second ballot measure, requiring that the estimated expenditures in each year's borough budget not exceed estimated revenues, passed 432-307 in unofficial results.

Haines Borough Assembly member Stephanie Scott was re-elected to her seat over challengers Leonard Dubber and Herb VanCleve. Norm Smith won a four-way race to fill a vacant Assembly seat. Scott and Smith each won more than 40 percent of the vote, eliminating the need for a runoff election.

Stacie Turner and Judy Erekson ran unopposed and will return to the Haines Borough School Board.

In Skagway, Mayor Tim Bourcy won another two-year term as all city races were uncontested. City council members J.M. Frey and David Hunz earned new three-year terms, and declared write-in candidate Beth Cline won a two-year Council term.

Darren Bellisle, Chris Maggio and Joanne Korsmo will return to the Skagway School Board.

Ketchikan Mayor Bob Weinstein easily won a third term, with nearly twice as many votes as the two other candidates - Bill Thomas and Borough Assembly member Dick Coose - combined.

Voters overwhelmingly rejected a 1.5 percent sales tax increase in the Ketchikan Gateway Borough to pay for general government, a new swimming pool and office space.

"I just think taxes are high enough as it is, and government should spend less money," said voter Andy Piston.

Also, more city voters than borough voters supported a successful measure to form a commission to work on a petition to consolidate Ketchikan's city and borough governments.

In Nome, voters elected Denise Michels mayor by a nearly 2-to-1 margin, defeating two-term incumbent Leo Rasmussen. Michels is believed to be the first woman and first Alaska Native elected mayor of Nome.

Nome voters also decided to raise their municipal sales tax from 4 percent to 5 percent.

Elsewhere in Alaska, voters in the Bristol Bay town of Dillingham approved a ban on smoking in public places such as restaurants, stores and taxis.

In Craig in Southeast Alaska, Mayor Dennis Watson kept his job for another term, defeating challenger Greg Head.

In northwest Alaska, voters in Kotzebue rejected a measure to tighten control over alcohol by creating a city-controlled alcohol distribution site.

In Selawik, voters were rejecting a proposal to end the village's 16-year ban on alcohol. According to unofficial results, 124 voters said no to lifting the ban and 95 said yes. But the measure was too close to call because 60 absentee and questioned ballots remained uncounted, city administrator Roger Clark said Wednesday.

• Empire reporter Andrew Krueger contributed to this report.