Borough clerk lays out election calendar, records-code rewrite and flags prolific records requester

Clerk Nova told the Kodiak Island Borough assembly on July 9 that the borough is "now gearing up for election," outlining dates and logistics for three 2026 ballots and flagging a surge of extensive public-records requests from one requester.

Nova said the borough will hold a primary on Aug. 18, a local municipal election on Oct. 6 and the general election on Nov. 3. Nominating packets are targeted for release on July 13; the filing period for candidates runs Aug. 1–17. Nova said absentee voting will open two weeks before the statewide primary and that the municipal election will include an early-voting period; polls will be held at locations listed in the packet. Notices of offices to be filled will appear in the Kodiak Daily Mirror, on the Kodiak Island Borough website, will be mailed to villages and will be posted on Facebook.

The clerk also reported routine year-end records work: staff are coordinating archival transfers to the records center, collaborating with the borough attorney on records-destruction procedures and said a comprehensive rewrite of the borough records code is under attorney review.

On public-records activity, Nova said the clerk's office has processed 37 requests to date and is "currently getting bombarded by a records requestor" identified in the packet as Mr. Zorado. "At first we thought that it was a bot, but it's an actual person," she said, adding that many requests are extensive. Nova said staff and the borough attorney are evaluating how to respond if requests exceed five hours per month and noted the borough is considering charging for requests that go beyond that threshold; she said the office is concerned the requester "is using the records for profit." The transcript does not record a response from Mr. Zorado.

Nova also noted two liquor-license renewals in the packet (Tony's Bar and Tony's Liquor Store) and reminded members that the July 16 work-session interviews will begin at 6:00 p.m. She said the packet includes an application to fill a vacant assembly seat, that an electronic copy will be posted on the borough website, and that staff are drafting the 2027 assembly calendar and considering training on agenda management, open-meetings law and parliamentary procedure.

The clerk invited members to meet Kodiak College director finalists listed in the packet; one candidate postponed and was rescheduled for July 7. Nova asked members to advise if attendance would create a quorum issue.

The assembly did not take formal action during clerk comments; members moved to member remarks after questions for the clerk were answered or declined.