The three Palmer City Council members who were subject to recall this week have been officially ousted by the voters. The final tally, as of Friday, was:
Sabrena Combs: 499 yes, 371 no.
Brian Daniels: 498 yes, 373 no.
Jill Valerius: 493 yes, 373 no.
The latest tally shows a 20.1 percent turnout, and includes the absentee and questioned ballots from Tuesday’s special recall election.
The three were accused of having had secret meetings in private chat groups on Facebook, a violation of the Alaska Open Meetings Act. The secret meetings often centered on topics that would come before the Palmer City Council, where four members of the group served as elected officials. One, Julie Berberich, has already left the Palmer City Council and was not included in the recall.
The results are subject to certification on May 3 by the council. It’s unclear if the members who have been recalled may attend that meeting to certify their own recall. The newly empty seats are to be filled by the four members of the city council who were not recalled. The four will review applications, review them, and vote on temporary council members.
