Gene Miller speaks up during a standing-room only town hall meeting featuring Juneau’s new legislators at the Mendenhall Valley Public Library on Tuesday, Jan. 29, 2019. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)

Gene Miller speaks up during a standing-room only town hall meeting featuring Juneau’s new legislators at the Mendenhall Valley Public Library on Tuesday, Jan. 29, 2019. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)

At town hall, Juneau residents worry about budget cuts

Residents raise questions about education, Pioneer Home, climate change

Locals crowded a local library Tuesday night to voice concerns about possible budget cuts during a town hall meeting hosted by Juneau’s trio of freshman lawmakers.

Sen. Jesse Kiehl and Reps. Andi Story and Sara Hannan, fielded questions about Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s plans to cut $1.6 billion from the state operating budget and his suggested $20 million cut to education funds in a supplementary budget proposal.

Kiehl said he believes it’s likely a sign more education cuts are coming.

“I’m going to do everything I can to protect school funding,” Kiehl promised.

[Here’s how Dunleavy’s proposed education cuts would affect Juneau schools]

Story, who served 15 years on the Juneau Board of Education before being elected to the Legislature this fall, and Hannan, a retired school teacher, offered similar statements earlier this week.

“I want teachers, and parents and staff to focus on outcomes. Not the budget,” Story said.

“If this bill if went through as the governor proposed it, (school districts) may be three-fifths through the fiscal year before you ask for this money. That’s the part that really throws me,” Hannan said.

In the Mendenhall Valley conference room Tuesday night, it was standing room only.

Douglas resident Karen Walker asked if they had any idea what the fate of the Alaska Pioneer Home elderly care system would be.

“People without pensions have no safety nets, or few. The gray tsunami is coming,” Walker said.

Answers varied. Hannan wondered if government services like Pioneer Home might need to be self-sufficient, and if general funds going toward it would be zeroed out.

Kiehl said it would be a battleground issue, but he was not sure.

“Senior benefits programs are a moral obligation,” he said.

Hannan said she thought the math behind Dunleavy’s budget proposals doesn’t add up. His budget is due to the legislators by Feb. 13.

“We are waiting for some reality to sink in,” Hannan said. She wondered aloud how the Glenn Highway could stay open if billions of dollars are cut from the operating budget. She questioned whether the highway could be plowed in winter.

Kiehl told the audience there are a lot of experts in the community who know in greater detail how certain cuts or legislation might affect the community.

“None of us are experts in everything,” Kiehl told the audience. “We rely on you. Please stay in touch.”

Bridget Weiss, Juneau School District Superintendent, chimed in, saying the audience could use their specialized knowledge to help the legislators see the bigger picture.

Weiss encouraged the crowd to connect the dots, “from our baseline of experience to advocacy.”

Climate change and House leadership

Another resident asked about the confirmation hearing of Commissioner Jason Brune, who has been tagged to lead the Department of Environmental Conservation.

Kiehl had attended his confirmation hearing just before the town hall. Kiehl said it was “impressive” that Brune acknowledged that humans had a role to play in climate change, considering the Dunleavy administration’s apparent lack of prioritization of the issue.

Hannan said that Brune, a former and land and resources department director with the Cook Inlet Regional Inc. Alaska Native corporation, was one of the few commissioners in Dunleavy’s cabinet who had any sort of relative experience to the work will be doing for the state. This brought laughter from the room.

Story talked about the House’s lack of organization, which has prevented the body from being able to get any work done. She said one of the most important things she can do as a representative at this point is get to know her fellow legislators, as the House remains deadlocked with a no majority caucus or leadership.

“We have to work with 60 other people and the governor. Building relationships is the heart of things,” Story said. “If I don’t have a good working relationship with them I can’t deliver.”


• Contact reporter Kevin Baird at 523-2258 or kbaird@juneauempire.com. Follow him on Twitter at @alaska_kev.


Rep. Sara Hannan, D-Juneau, center, answers a question as Sen. Jesse Kiehl, D-Juneau, left, and Rep. Andi Story, D-Juneau, wait their turn during a standing-room only town hall meeting at the Mendenhall Valley Public Library on Tuesday, Jan. 29, 2019. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)

Rep. Sara Hannan, D-Juneau, center, answers a question as Sen. Jesse Kiehl, D-Juneau, left, and Rep. Andi Story, D-Juneau, wait their turn during a standing-room only town hall meeting at the Mendenhall Valley Public Library on Tuesday, Jan. 29, 2019. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)

Juneau’s legislators, Sen. Jesse Kiehl and Reps. Sara Hannan and Andi Story, talk to a standing room only crowd at a town hall meeting at the Mendenhall Valley Public Library on Tuesday, Jan. 29, 2019. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)

Juneau’s legislators, Sen. Jesse Kiehl and Reps. Sara Hannan and Andi Story, talk to a standing room only crowd at a town hall meeting at the Mendenhall Valley Public Library on Tuesday, Jan. 29, 2019. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)

More in News

KTOO, Juneau's public radio station, is photographed in Juneau, Alaska, on Friday, July 11, 2025. (Photo by Erin Thompson/Peninsula Clarion)
Public radio facing cuts as Congress moves to pull back funding

KTOO could lose one-third of its budget if the House passes a bill cutting funding for the Corporation of Public Broadcasting

Jasz Garrett / Juneau Empire file photo
The Norwegian Bliss arrives in Juneau on Monday, April 14.
Ships in port for the week of July 19

This information comes from the Cruise Line Agencies of Alaska’s 2025 schedule.… Continue reading

(Michael Penn / Juneau Empire file photo)
Police calls for Thursday, July 17, 2025

This report contains public information from law enforcement and public safety agencies.

Eaglecrest Ski Area. (Ben Hohenstatt | Juneau Empire File)
Hiker rescued from gully at Eaglecrest

The woman got stuck in a gully after taking a wrong turn

(Michael Penn / Juneau Empire file photo)
Police calls for Wednesday, July 16, 2025

This report contains public information from law enforcement and public safety agencies.

The Dimond Courthouse in Juneau, Alaska, is seen in this undated photo. (Michael S. Lockett / Juneau Empire file)
Juneau man pleads guilty to murder of infant

James White pleaded guilty yesterday to the murder of 5-and-half-week-old Kathy White

U.S. Coast Guard Rear Admiral Megan Dean shakes hands with the new Arctic District commander Rear Admiral Bob Little on Friday. Vice Admiral Andrew J. Tiongson, commander of the Pacific Area, smiles. (Jasz Garrett / Juneau Empire)
US Coast Guard receives new commander, new name for Alaska

The Arctic District’s new icebreaker will visit Juneau next month

City and Borough of Juneau City Hall is photographed on July 12, 2025, in Juneau, Alaska. (Photo by Erin Thompson/Juneau Empire file)
Municipal election candidate filing period opens July 18

The filing period runs from July 18 at 8 a.m. to July 28 at 4:30 p.m.

The Mendenhall River roars more than 13 feet above normal levels in August 2023. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)
Suicide Basin predicted to fill by Aug. 8

The change in the prediction of when the basin will fill was based on heavy rain last week

Most Read