Two seats on the Utqiaġvik City Council were up for grabs this fall, and election results showed a tight race in one contest where candidates were separated by just seven votes.
Two candidates were neck-and-neck in the city council race for Seat E: Heather Hopson gained 371 votes and Frieda Kaleak received 364. Last week, the unofficial results showed a difference in a single vote, but Hopson got further ahead after the rest of the ballots were counted.
[Experienced local politicians and new faces run for North Slope Borough and Utqiaġvik city elections]
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In the Seat F race, Sarah M. Tua’i defeated George “Payuk” Pimental Jr. Tua’i received 435 votes, or 59%, while Pimental had 284 votes, or 39%.
Tua’i has said she wants to focus on overseeing alcohol and tobacco taxes, improving the local DMV and creating more recreation opportunities, especially for children and teenagers.
In her career, Tua’i has been serving the Barrow School Advisory Council for over nine years and has worked at the North Slope Borough mayor’s office, grants division.