Beth Weldon resigned from the City and Borough of Juneau Assembly on Tuesday, according to a release from the city, as her upcoming campaign for mayor prevents her from continuing to serve on the Assembly. Fellow Assembly member Norton Gregory said he expects to follow suit soon, as he also intends on running for mayor.
These resignations will result in two more open Assembly seats on the ballot for the Oct. 2 election. Both of them have one year left on their terms, so the winners of their seats will serve out the remaining one year of those terms.
There are now two District 2 positions up for election this fall, with Weldon and Deputy Mayor Jerry Nankervis both not seeking re-election to the Assembly (Nankervis is running for a spot in the state house).
The two seats are not equal, though, because Weldon has one year left on her Assembly term and Nankervis’ term finishes this fall. As a result, the District 2 candidate who gets the most votes in the Oct. 2 election will get Nankervis’ seat and a three-year term. The candidate who gets the second-most votes will fill Weldon’s one-year term. This is according to CBJ ordinance 29.07.040.
Juneau residents Wade Bryson and Michelle Hale have declared their candidacies in District 2.
Gregory said in an email that he wants to remain in his role through upcoming Assembly meetings on Aug. 8 and Aug. 9, but will be handing in his paperwork to run for mayor prior to the Aug. 13 deadline. When he turns in his paperwork, he said, he will step down.
“The constituents of our community that voted for me expect me to serve,” Gregory said, “and that is exactly what I intend to do.”
Weldon and Gregory filed their letters of intent to run for mayor on July 27 after current mayor Ken Koelsch announced he wasn’t running for re-election. Saralyn Tabachnick, executive director of Juneau’s domestic violence shelter Aiding Women in Abuse and Rape Emergencies (AWARE), declared her candidacy for mayor in June.
Assuming Gregory indeed resigns from the Assembly, the Oct. 2 ballot will include a mayor, a District 1 seat, two District 2 seats, an Areawide seat and three Board of Education seats. Loren Jones is running for re-election in District 1.
Residents of Downtown Juneau, Douglas, North Douglas, Lemon Creek and the Airport area are eligible to run for District 1. Mendenhall Valley and out the road residents are eligible to run for District 2. The Mayor is an Areawide seat. Voters, regardless of where they live, get to vote for all open seats.
Candidates can file for the election starting at 8 a.m. Friday and until Monday, Aug. 13 at 4:30 p.m. Prospective candidates must complete a Declaration of Candidacy, a Nominating Petition, and an Alaska Public Offices Commission (APOC) Public Official Financial Disclosure. There forms are available online and must be filed with the CBJ Municipal Clerk Office during the filing period.
To vote in the election, people must be registered by Sept. 2.
• Contact reporter Alex McCarthy at 523-2271 or amccarthy@juneauempire.com. Keep up with the Empire’s local election coverage at www.juneauempire.com/municipal-election.
