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In the election for Kenai City Council, three candidates vying for the two seats, and each of the candidates has their own unique perspective as to how they believe they'll best serve the city.

Of the three, Bob Malloy is the only incumbent. He has served on the council for the past four years.

Malloy was first elected for one year to fill the seat after Pat Porter became mayor.

"I was then elected for a three-year term, and now I'm running for re-election again," he said.

Malloy said he wants to continue working on several policies he has developed over the past few years.

"There are many policies, such as making a more open and accountable government, balancing the budget with efficient financing, and balancing continued commercial growth while protecting the quality of life in the city," he said.

"I think I've made a lot of progress with the council on openness," Malloy said "I sponsored the web casting of our city council meetings, and better dissemination of our meeting minutes."

Tim Navarre has not served on the Kenai City Council, but he brings a breadth of experience, having served on the Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly from 1993-2002. He has also served as a past president of the Kenai Chamber of Commerce, to name just a couple of his varied political and professional experiences.

"I feel I have a lot to offer," he said.

Navarre said he has had people ask him to run because of his knowledge of energy issues. He hopes to use his knowledge of the oil and gas industry to "move the city in the right direction."

"We're the oil and gas capital of Alaska, and I believe the city has to be a player, communicating with the industries, making sure there are opportunities here for people to go to work in those industries," he said.

Navarre said he views this as a major focal point of his campaign.

"People who live here for the quality of life should also be able to find work here without going all over Alaska," he said.

While Navarre's brings experience and an agenda, Ryan Marquis brings neither. But he says that shouldn't be considered a negative.

"I'm new to politics, I don't have name recognition, and I wasn't asked to run by anyone," Marquis said. "I just want to be involved in my local government. I want to bring a new perspective, raise new questions or possibly provide new answers to old issues."

Marquis said he is hopeful voters will give him a chance to show that politics don't have to solely be the realm of full-time or repeat politicians.

"If my campaign could lead to one thing, it would be to show that everyone has a place in politics," he said. "In our local politics, there's not a lot of people throwing their name in the hat. People think you have to have a lot of money or time, but I intend to show it can still be done.

"I have a full-time job, a full-time family commitment, and I'm a part-time student in college, but I still have the time to get out, go door-to-door, and meet with voters to hear what are the important issues to them."

Joseph Robertia can be reached at joseph.robertia@peninsulaclarion.com.