The City’s Canvass Board finalized election results for the City Council during Thursday’s meeting after tallying early votes, questioned and absentee by-mail ballots.
Out of roughly 538 votes cast for council candidates, 482 voted for incumbent Nick Mangini to serve a three-year term on the council.
But no one ran for the other three-year seat, leaving the door open for a write-in candidate. In an email, City Clerk Brandy Warnecke said city code has few requirements for write-in candidates.
A total of 56 valid votes were cast for 35 different, eligible write-in candidates to fill that three-year term. The top vote getters were Chris Paulson and Jose Calderon – both with four votes. According to city code, if a tie occurs then the outcome shall be determined “in a meeting of the council and under its direction.”
Warnecke said they reached out to both candidates and only Calderon was interested in accepting the three-year term on the council. Here he is after being sworn into the council Thursday night.
“I am excited. I am probably going to be a pain in the ass for sure," Calderon said. "But I am excited, and I thank you all for just being here with me. And, let's get things done.
Calderon didn’t share any personal details at the council meeting and could not immediately be reached for comment. But in an email to the city clerk, Calderon said he is, “committed to working diligently on behalf of our citizens, to contribute positively to the city’s growth and well-being, and to uphold the values and interests of our community. I look forward to collaborating with my fellow council members, city staff, and residents to address the challenges and opportunities facing Kodiak.”
Voter turnout in this month’s city election was 13.9%, with 554 ballots cast out of 3,974 registered city voters. That’s down from 21% voter turnout last year. In 2025, the city said it had 4,073 registered city voters on the rolls at the time.
City Councilmember Djuna Davidson said that the level of turnout is “sad”.
"We can do better, and I know that people have lots of opinions about how the city is managed. And the best way to make a difference is to vote for the people who you think will represent what you believe in," she said. "So please, Kodiak, vote.”
Calderon and Mangini were joined by longtime councilmember Charles Davidson, who was elected for a one-year term on the city council with 433 votes. They replace outgoing council members Annika Woods and Bob Stanford, who did not run for reelection.
City council members are in charge of hiring the city manager that oversees roughly 130 employees, adopting the city’s roughly $50 million budget, and passing or amending municipal code.
Aside from electing three council members, city voters also approved a change to the residency requirements for future city managers. 344 voters were in favor of allowing the city manager to live within five road miles of city limits, while 178 were opposed.
That city code change basically clears the way for the council to hire its next permanent city manager out of a pool of roughly 20 candidates, which includes Interim manager Tim Putney.
The city has been trying to hire a city manager since April of 2024 when former manager Mike Tvenge retired. Since then, the city tried to hire its deputy city manager who didn’t live within city limits, briefly had a signed contract with Randy Robertson from the Lower 48 who left the Kodiak job after only seven weeks as city manager, and has been operating for the last five months with its Police Chief hired as the Interim City Manager.
And for transparency, KMXT employee Terry Haines is also the Kodiak City mayor, who presides over the city council. As KMXT’s morning host, Haines makes editorial decisions about what airs in local newscasts but under KMXT’s policy on editorial independence, he does not edit or review news stories before they are published.
