Politics

North Slope Borough voters pick another Brower for mayor

An eight-month fight over who should lead the North Slope Borough as mayor went to the voters Tuesday in a runoff election to replace the ousted Charlotte Brower.

In unofficial results, voters picked her brother-in-law, Harry K. Brower Jr., the deputy director of the borough wildlife department.

He collected 56 percent of the vote to 44 percent for George Ahmaogak, a former five-time borough mayor supported by residents behind the recall of Charlotte Brower.

Barrow residents appear to have heavily favored Brower, and his total vote count was 841 compared to 656 for Ahmaogak. But numerous absentee and questioned ballots remain uncounted.

Both men are whaling captains, and both are part of prominent North Slope families.

Ahmaogak led in the June voting to decide Charlotte Brower's replacement. But with seven candidates, he didn't reach the 40 percent threshold needed to avoid a runoff.

Brower and Ahmaogak each raised about $27,500, and each drew some support from North Slope Borough employees, although different factions, according to reports filed with the Alaska Public Offices Commission.

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The borough includes Barrow and seven other villages and both candidates flew to communities for campaign meet-and-greets.

The recall group, People for Responsible Government, last week said Ahmaogak "is the candidate most likely to restore accountability, integrity, competency and public service to the North Slope Borough."

In 2011, Ahmaogak lost to Charlotte Brower just days after his wife, Maggie, was indicted on charges of embezzling from her employer, the Alaska Eskimo Whaling Commission. She ultimately went to prison.

On his campaign Facebook page, Brower said he was being unfairly portrayed as an extension of the last administration and didn't feel like he should have to quit his job to run for office.

"I won't build myself up by tearing down others," he said.

Voters decided to kick Charlotte Brower out of office early after news reports said her office spent more than $800,000 on gifts to organizations, sports teams and individuals including to her own family. Her grandchildren were sent to a California basketball camp and a daughter sold expensive cakes to the borough for special events.

The mayor's term ends in October 2017.

Lisa Demer

Lisa Demer was a longtime reporter for the Anchorage Daily News and Alaska Dispatch News. Among her many assignments, she spent three years based in Bethel as the newspaper's western Alaska correspondent. She left the ADN in 2018.

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