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When Seat A incumbent Jim Stogsdill was asked to identify the biggest issue he sees facing the city, he pointed to annexation.

It's not a new issue, he admitted, noting that the council has addressed the matter before.

The city considered expanding its boundaries on four fronts about two years ago, but after overwhelming opposition from residents in the proposed impact areas, then-Mayor Dave Carey vetoed the city council's vote to annex.

Stogsdill said he believes it's still an important objective to tackle.

"That gives us some land so if a large business comes to Soldotna we've got room for it and we can reap the sales tax," he said.

He pointed out that there are already areas outside the city limits currently served by municipal services that should be folded in.

He doesn't expect this to be a speedy process though.

"It's an effort that's going to take months. Annexation never comes quickly," he said.

Seat B incumbent, V. Eugene Fowler, said annexation is also his main concern.

"It could certainly help the tax base," Fowler said, "and the people need to get something for their money."

He, like Stogsdill, also pointed out that it takes cooperation to get an issue through.

"I'm only one part of council, so I can't fix any of this myself, but I can work with the council and the mayor, and talk with citizens," he said.

Another point of concern for some candidates is the potential loss of sales tax revenue the city may see with the opening of a Wal-Mart in Kenai.

"That's going to be tough to address," said Jay Rohloff, the Seat C incumbent. "The obvious is to cut back on services, but I'm not thrilled with that."

Rohloff said he remains hopeful residents will continue to support local businesses.

"I think once it's said and done and Wal-Mart has settled in, we'll see a return to more customary shopping habits," he said.

Seat C challenger Dale Bagley said he was also concerned by the sales tax revenue issue, but was more worried about finalizing the selection of a cemetery site.

In recent years, while most in the city agreed with the need for a municipal cemetery, much division has surrounded the actual site selection. The most recent Memorial Park Committee settled on the Knight Drive location, something Bagley said he wasn't happy with.

Bagley is part of a contingent of candidates that wants to see the cemetery placed on land off of West Redoubt Avenue.

"From my perspective, it's time to go ahead and do what the people voted to do and build it," he said, referring to a vote held last year on whether city residents wanted a cemetery at the Redoubt site.

Seat D challenger Peggy Mullen said her main concern also is the cemetery.

"The incumbents failed to listen to us," she said. "They refuse to put the Redoubt property in the mix."

She said the process has been long and it's time to bring it to an end.

"All the way along, the process has been fraught with problems," she said.

She said she thinks the Redoubt property is the best place for the cemetery.

"The location is the most respectful property we have," she said.

Seat B challenger Brenda Hartman has concerns with the cemetery issue, too.

"I feel that (the cemetery) needs to go back to the (West) Redoubt Avenue property," Hartman said, "simply because we already own it and we've had a vote and two task forces that thought it was the best location."

She said she believes the incumbents are out of touch with their constituents.

"We need to follow the wishes of the voters," she said, "and I think the council isn't listening to the people."

Seat A contender, Dr. Nels Anderson, said he couldn't select one single issue, saying, "I don't think there is a single particular issue that's really major."

He went on to say, "I don't have any major disagreements with what the city's done except on the cemetery."

He said he'd like to address several issues that include annexation, safety and the environment.

He noted he would like to see a stoplight in front of the Soldotna Park, as an example.

"We need to work on not polluting the Kenai River," he said, as well.

On annexation, he pointed to frontage along Kalifornsky Beach Road and Funny River Road, but said the city should not seek to incorporate residential areas.

Seat D incumbent M. Scott McClane said his main concern is "maintaining the quality of life inside the city."

Dante Petri can be reached at dante.petri@peninsulaclarion.com.