Evelynn Trefon of Newhalen is challenging incumbent Randolph Alvarez of Igiugig for seat A on the borough's assembly. Ballots must be postmarked by October 6, and no late ballots will be accepted.
Ballots for the Lake and Peninsula Borough’s local elections are out. Two assembly seats and three school board seats are open. All are three-year terms.
The municipal election is exclusively by-mail, and all registered voters should have received a ballot by now. Ballots must be postmarked by October 6. No late ballots will be accepted, so the sooner voters send them out, the better.
Incumbent Randolph Alvarez of Igiugig is running for re-election to assembly seat A. Alvarez is a commercial fisherman, and he also used to work in construction. He’s held his assembly seat for 12 years.
“I like being able to take part in how our borough and our region is being governed," he said. "It’s pretty important, from all that’s been going on. Especially this last nine months since COVID — having to deal with that.”
Alvarez said that Lake and Pen is a home rule municipality, so while the borough approves the school district's budget, communities manage most of their own finances, and the borough's taxes are limited to a fish tax, a "bed tax" for hotels, and a guide tax.
Assembly members were kept busy this spring working on health and safety resolutions with other regional entities via Zoom and teleconference meetings as the coronavirus pandemic grew.
“We’ve had to deal with the COVID issue since last spring," Alvarez explained. "We’ve had to pass some resolutions for how to travel — especially non-residents coming into the area — what they have to do. So that’s been pretty critical for health reasons.”
Evelynn Trefon of Newhalen is challenging Alvarez. Trefon operates E&A Produce, a fruit and vegetable delivery business based in Newhalen.
“I decided to run this year because there is not a representative from Iliamna or Newhalen on the Lake and Pen Borough Assembly and there’s two from Igiugig, so I figured it would just happen to be Randy [Alvarez] that I was running against, so I just figured we need to have representation from this area as well,” she said.
Trefon said that if elected, she would focus on advocating for school funding with state representatives. She also wants to be involved in the borough’s infrastructure management, like building a new dock in Iliamna.
“Which is much needed, and has been needed for many years since they tore out the old one," she said. "So I wanted to be part of that so I can make sure that I contact people here and get them involved so that their voices can be heard on what they want for the dock project.”
Incumbent Alvin Pedersen of Chignik Lagoon is running unopposed for assembly seat D.
Contact the author at isabelle@kdlg.org or 907-842-2200.
