Fairbanks Daily News-Miner

NORTH POLE—Voters elected Jeff Jacobson and Doug Wilson to the city council as they overwhelmingly approved 13 ballot measures on Tuesday.

The ballot measures change the city’s charter, though the essence of the document that defines the city’s government remains the same.

Jacobson returns to the five-member council after serving two terms as mayor. The 49-year-old middle school teacher drew 208 votes. Wilson drew 199 votes, while a third and fourth candidate, Preston Smith and John Poirrier, drew 77 and 71 votes respectively. “It’s a great validation to be elected to the city council,” Jacobson said. “I’m thrilled and honored to continue my service.”

Election results came as a shock to Wilson, 52, who didn’t campaign much and was out of town for three weeks in September, partly for medical reasons.

“I appreciate people putting their trust in me,” he said. “I’m going to do everything I can not to let them down.”

Several of the changes to the city’s charter concerned spelling and typographical errors or unintentionally omitted words.

One of the approved ballot measures allows the city clerk to carry out future minor editing when needed.

“I didn’t think that it was too big of a deal,” said Megan Harrison, a secretary who voted at city hall.

One ballot measure changed the language concerning the definition of the mayor pro tempore, who manages the city in the absence of the mayor.

The old charter said the mayor pro tempore could take over when “doubt exists concerning the ability of the mayor to perform the duties of office.” The voters replaced the word doubt with “preponderance of evidence.”

Another ballot measure modified the document’s budget adoption procedure to reflect the current practice.

The old charter said that a public hearing should take place a week before the budget’s adoption. The voters changed the procedure to require public work sessions to take place before the budget is introduced. All of the measures passed with 80 percent or more of the voters’ support except for Proposition 8, which received 77 percent of the vote.