Tuesday was mostly quiet mid-afternoon at the polling place in the Cordova Center on Election Day. Early voting and mail-in ballot numbers were slated to be relatively low, and in-person voting was also expected to be less than average.
“We have mailed out 14 ballots this year vs. 47 last year. There have been 11 early voters so far this year, last year we had 235 total early voters,” said Cordova City Clerk Susan Bourgeois.
Bourgeois shared that statistics of early, absentee, mail-in and special needs voting are hard to analyze and fluctuate from year to year due to various impacts like the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We obviously saw a lot of early voters in 2021 and 2022, based on safety and also more special needs ballots went out those years because of illness,” she said. “Another important factor of course is how much competition there is for seats. Except for school board and if there are no other write-ins, the Council and CCMC Board seats are all uncontested.”
Kelsey Hayden and Chris Lannazzone were on the ballot for the two open seats for the Cordova Community Medical Center (CCMC) Authority Board, Cathy Sherman and Kasey Kinsman for the two open Cordova City Council positions, and David Glasen for the lone School Board seat. However, one person, Lynette Lohse, declared she was running as a write-in candidate against Glasen for the School Board position.
The Cordova Times reached out to the electees for comment on their campaigns and why they are running for their respective seats.
“Having grown up in Cordova, I am deeply connected to this town, the people, and the experience of being raised ‘Cordovan’ in all the very best ways. I have personally experienced schooling my children within several varying education programs both in and out of state,” Lohse said. “This background has led me to an overwhelming appreciation of what Cordova Public Schools have to offer in terms of teaching, education, support, and overall opportunities.”
Her kids are in kindergarten, 5th and 7th grade. She said now “seems like a great time to step up and get involved.”
Glasen, a graduate of the Cordova School District himself, said his institutional experience, as well as his wife’s tenure on the board, makes him a good candidate.
“I feel that this has provided me with lots of experience and historical knowledge of the district from a parent perspective,” he said.
Glasen also said his experience on the City Council makes him a good fit for the board.
“During my term on the council, I appreciated hearing differing ideas and viewpoints before making decisions. I will bring that same openness to the school board,” he said. “I don’t always know the answers, but I don’t mind asking the questions to better understand.”
Sherman, who has lived in Cordova for 39 years, has worked at the Chamber of Commerce, Cordova District Fishermen United, as the acting city manager, and at the museum and library information services for the City of Cordova. She’s running as an incumbent for the City Council.
“Now I volunteer at the museum, have just finished my first three-year term as a city council member and would like to return for another term,” she said. “We have an incredibly competent city manager and municipal team that are accomplishing a lot of pretty cool things, despite a pandemic. On the horizon are a major revamp of our harbor, the rebuilding of Second Street, efficient and smart software upgrades for the Police Department and the City Administration.”
She said she wants to continue these and other capital projects in Cordova.
“My optimism is the reason I chose to run for another term. I want to continue to give back to a community that has given so much to me,” said Sherman.
Hayden is running for her second term on the CCMC Advisory Board.
“When I first ran in 2020, I wanted to understand why it had struggled for so many years. I was under no illusions that I knew anything about hospital management. While I still have a lot to learn, I now have a better understanding of the vital role it plays in our community, and a deep appreciation for the dedicated staff who’ve carried us through the last three years,” she said. “I’m invested in the ongoing work leadership is doing to right the ship, particularly as we look towards consolidating healthcare. My term is up, but my job doesn’t feel complete yet, so here I am.”
Similarly, Lannazzone — who formerly worked as a first responder and for the fire department — said he’s running for another CCMC Advisory Board term because of his appreciation for rural health care.
“I believe in the importance of our health care and Emergency Medical Services in our rural community. I am grateful for an opportunity to assist CCMC and the community by serving as a board member,” he said. “Thank you to all the staff at CCMC for their hard to provide the best health care services to our community.”
The City Council will have a special meeting at noon on March 22 to certify the results of the election.
