First voters -- metaphorically -- came out of the closet to vote. Now, 14 weeks later, lost ballots are --literally -- coming out of the City Hall closet!

My modest proposal to preclude a recurrence of the ongoing April election fiasco is the following: Contract all future municipal elections to the State of Alaska Division of Elections to execute. Yes, just pay the state to do it. They have a permanent, professional organization in place and seem to know what they are doing.

Elections, for the municipality, are not a core function or competency; rather, they are an occasional additional duty which was not professionally managed. Get out of the business and pay the state to do it for us.

-- Thomas B Petersen

Anchorage