A very familiar face to Juneauites is back in state government.
Cathy Muñoz, the former House District 34 Representative, is now listed as a deputy commissioner of labor on the Department of Labor and Workforce Development website. Muñoz represented the district, which includes Mendenhall Valley, Auke Bay and out the road, from 2008-2016.
In what the Empire at the time referred to as an “extraordinary upset,” Muñoz lost her 2016 bid for re-election for her House seat soon after it came to light that she had written letters in support of multiple convicted sex offenders.
Muñoz also served on the City and Borough of Juneau Assembly for three terms. Muñoz is a fourth-generation Alaskan and the daughter of notable Juneau artist Rie Muñoz.
During her time in the Legislature, Muñoz was the chair of the Community and Regional Affairs Committee and was a member of the House Finance Committee. Among her efforts in the Legislature were to get funding for the University of Alaska and the Southeast Mine Training program, according to her biography on the Department of Labor and Workforce Development website. She also sponsored legislation allowing companies to get a tax credit for contributions made to vocational education programs.
Nobody at the Department of Labor and Workforce Development responded to interview requests Tuesday, and a message to Muñoz’s cellphone went unanswered.
