Kenai City Council appoints Glenys Petty to one-year seat after secret-ballot rounds
Loading...
Summary
After three rounds of secret-ballot voting, the Kenai City Council appointed Glenys Petty to fill a one-year vacant council seat. The appointment passed on a 4–2 roll-call vote; Petty will serve until the next regular city election.
Kenai — The Kenai City Council appointed Glenys Petty to a one-year council term on Nov. 19, 2025, following three rounds of secret-ballot voting and a formal roll-call motion.
Mayor Knackstedt opened the meeting’s appointment process by outlining a ranked voting method (first choice = 2 points, second choice = 1 point) and describing elimination rounds. Vice Mayor Askin moved to commence the secret ballots; the clerk collected and tallied ballots.
The clerk reported the first-round point totals with Glenys Petty leading, followed by Alexander Douthat, Michelle Miller Obey and Duane Banach (Banach was eliminated after the first round). After a second round, the final ballot gave Petty a plurality of the votes in the head-to-head round against Douthat.
Council then moved and seconded a motion to appoint Petty to the one-year term. The clerk called the roll: Mayor Knackstedt—Yes; Council member Daniel—No; Council member Sonart—Yes; Vice Mayor Askin—Yes; Council member Grimmie—No; Council member Ksena—Yes. The motion passed 4–2.
Petty was sworn in following the vote and will serve until the next regular city election, city staff said.
The appointment process used the city charter’s vacancy provisions and the council’s point-based secret ballot method. The council noted candidates had been interviewed in a prior work session.
Next steps: Petty takes the oath of office and assumes council duties immediately; the council did not change the one-year term length set under charter procedures.
