Mat-Su Assembly member Rob Yundt resigns, says he is moving out of his district

PALMER — Mat-Su Borough Assembly member Rob Yundt resigned from office this week, effective immediately.

Yundt resigned because he is moving out of his Assembly district, he said in an interview Thursday. He submitted his resignation via email to Matanuska-Susitna Borough Clerk Lonnie McKechnie after meeting with borough administration officials Wednesday morning, he said.

Yundt represented District 4, which includes Wasilla. He is moving his family from a duplex in District 4 into a larger home several miles away in District 6, he said.

He first learned about the residency rule over the weekend, he said.

“I didn’t know the rule,” he said. “I’m not going to lie — I’ve shed some tears over this. It’s been tough.”

Borough law requires Assembly members to live within the district they represent. A member who moves out of their district can continue to hold the seat until the next regular election, the law states. The borough’s next election is scheduled for Nov. 5.

Yundt said he chose to resign now rather than wait until November to make the administrative tasks around filling the vacancy easier for the clerk staff who also manage all borough election activities.

Yundt is a Republican candidate for Senate District N. He came in second in the August primary against incumbent Republican Sen. David Wilson, finishing with about 33% of the vote to Wilson’s 41%. He will also appear on the general election ballot in November.

Because Yundt submitted his resignation after a summer deadline for vacancies to appear on this year’s ballot, his position will be filled by a vote of the Assembly, according to borough law.

The Assembly is scheduled to accept Yundt’s resignation during a regular meeting on Sept. 10. They must appoint someone to fill the vacancy within 30 days, the law states.

How that individual is selected is up to the Assembly, McKechnie said. Previous vacancies have been filled through a community application process and a series of special meetings to select and vet candidates, she said.

Yundt said he does not plan to recommend an individual for the vacancy. If the Assembly chooses to accept applications, residents of District 4 can apply for the seat by contacting McKechnie’s office.

Assembly members appointed to vacant seats serve only until the next general election. At that time, they must run for and win the spot if they want to continue serving out the remainder of the previous member’s term. That means any person appointed to the seat vacated by Yundt will have to appear on the borough’s November 2025 ballot.

Yundt was originally elected to the Assembly in 2020 and was reelected last year in an uncontested race.

Republished with permission from the Mat-Su Sentinel, an independent, nonprofit, nonpartisan online news source. Contact Amy Bushatz at abushatz@matsusentinel.com.