Election, April 10 on
Incorporation of Palm*
er. Voting in Palmer
Drag Bldg.
VOL. 4. NUMBER 30
Kalleg Mrnntiergman
PUBLISHED 11V THE HVTERESTS OF THE MATANUSKA VALLEY
PALMER. ALASKA. TUESDAY.' APRIL 10. 1951
ELECTION
EXTRA
PRICE 10c
{
INCORPORATION
YES, 254 - NO, 113
Heavy Vote Gets Early Start At Palmer Polls;
Free Rides, Sound Wagon, Round Up Electors
A heavy and determined vote turned out Tuesday to decide
Palmer's future—incorporated first class city or unorganized small
town.
Voting started sharp at 8 a.m. in the store in the Palmer Drug
Bldg., which was used for polling place.
Electors already were in line when the polls opened. The first
10 electors cast their votes withinthe first 10 minutes, and all 10
announced they voted YES for incorporation.
Ballot No. 1 was cast by A. V.
Hagen, militant fighter for incor
poration and candidate for city
council. Right on his heels casting
ballot No. 2 was the jovial and
popular James Simpson, 16 years
in Alaska. Jack Maze stepped up
next with ballot No. 3.
Apparently most electors def
initely had made up their minds
for or against incorporation, and
as to which 7 of 18 councilmanic
candidates they favored. Voting
went rapidly. Three booths at the
rear of the store were curtained
with clean white dish towels and
no one paused long in the booths.
By 1 p.m. nearly half the votes
had been cast.
The polling place was clearly
marked with big signs VOTE
HERE and with a huge American
flag driven into the frozen ground
Every effort was made to get
out the vote. Both sides for and
against incorporation had done
vigorous campaigning. Sample
ballots and campaign posters were
widely distributed. Sound wagon
toured the proposed corporate
limits urging all electors to get
to the poll. As each person voted,
he was tagged with a gold rib
bon. Free transportation to the
voting place was provided for all
who requested it. Even the
weatherman helped with a warm
spring day although a few flakes
(continued on page 4)
Election Special
COUNCIL
TOTALS
The 18 candidates who filed for
city council drew the following
votes: Highest 7 were the win
ners:
Carl H. Meier . 208
A. V. Hagen. 189
Lloyd W. Severns . 187
Dr. Allan Mick . 185
C. A. "Chet" Sandvik. 168
Frank Brown . 159
Steve Ward . 157
Oliver Onkka . 151
A1 J. DeJulio . 145
Mrs. Katheryn Wilson .... 136
Matthew Perkins . 133
Bernard R. Bouwens . 101
John L. Sullivan . 86
Ray Lancaster . 85
Mrs. Betty Mears . 66
Robert “Bob” Peterson.... 66
A1 King. 65
Ray Adams . 55
Palmer made history
Tuesday with a vote of 254
to 113 for incorporation as
a first class city.
The vote surpassed all
estimates as both oldtim
ers and new comers made
their wishes known thru
their ballots.
Two-thirds of all votes
were required to carry the
bitterly fought measure.
Next move is a statement from
the Court declaring the election
legal.
Council Elects Mayor
Then comes the big job of or
ganization. The seven elected to
the city council will meet and
appoint one of their number
mayor to serve until the next
regular election in October. They
also will set up rules and regula
tions.
Some appointments will have
to be made at an early date to get
the new city government rolling
—probably a city clerk-treasurer
and tax officer, a legal adviser,
police and fire chiefs.
Sources of revenue will have
to be determined, although con
siderable investigation already
has been made and conferences
held with the Public Works Ad
ministration for Alaska, GSA,
and other matching fund agencies.
As in most Alaskan towns,
council and mayor will serve
without salary and some other
officers will serve on a volunteer
basis. Appointments to boards
and commissions also will be non
pay.
City Services
The problem of city services—
water and other public utilities,
fire and police protection—which
were main issues in causing the
incorporation election, wall be
among foremost headaches of the
new council.
Ordinances will have to be
'passed as required.
Palmer’s going to have some
growing pains in developing t»
city stature.