Candidates discuss visions for Juneau at election forum

Candidates running for the Board of Education and City and Borough of Juneau Assembly gathered Thursday evening to participate in a forum moderated by the Juneau Downtown Business Association.

Jenny Thomas, Melissa Cullum, Jeremy Johnson and Steve Whitney are running for two full-term seats and one partial-term seat on the Juneau school board.

Nano Brooks, who unsuccessfully ran for an Assembly seat in the past two elections, is running against incumbent Wade Bryson. Bryson is nearing the end of his second three-year term. Ella Adkison was elected in 2023 to serve a partial term when Assembly member Carole Triem resigned; she and Greg Smith, who is also wrapping up his second full term, are both running uncontested. The four candidates met to discuss their approaches to issues facing the city, including housing, taxes and improvements to downtown.

Education

A bare-bones budget was the top concern for everyone running for the school board.

“Until the state gets its budget in order and we actually solve this, things aren’t going to be whole,” Whitney said. “It’s gonna be a rough two years. Our mode is to survive and keep the talented staff that we have.”

Thomas called for more transparency and community engagement. Cullum echoed Thomas’s suggestion to partner with the Department of Labor to offer apprenticeship programs to students, and both women emphasized the importance of supporting teachers even with a limited amount of funds.

Assembly candidates’ three-year plans

Each Assembly candidate had a slightly differing vision for what Juneau should look like in three years, but they all agreed that developing more housing is paramount.

Bryson highlighted increased tourism opportunities on Douglas Island, pointing to the Goldbelt cruise ship port and the importance of constructing Bench Road to allow for smoother transportation once the dock is operational.

Brooks focused on Juneau’s 20% conversion rate.

“We all want the best services, the best wages, the best benefits for our workers and our community members in the public and private sector,” he said. “But, as I said when I did my first campaign two years ago, we’re not going to be able to get there if all we keep doing is raising taxes and raising fees on the people that are willing to stick around and shoulder that burden.”

Smith spoke of strengthening flood protections in the Mendenhall Valley and introducing sales tax exemptions, saying the current proposal would save a family of four an estimated $1,200 annually. Like Brooks, Smith focused on the importance of keeping year-round residents happy and healthy, suggesting more opportunities for summertime recreation at Eaglecrest.

Adkison spoke about the importance of child care.

“Right now, we’re doing really great stipends to raise the wages of people who are working in child care,” she said. “That’s something we can look at expanding and continuing so that in the next three years we have a better environment for child care, so that families have a place to put the kids when they’re at work, which is so hugely important for our community.”

Developing housing on Telephone Hill

All four Assembly candidates said they want to move forward with plans to redevelop Telephone Hill. Adkison said she wants to see 150 dense, affordable units house everyone from Coast Guard members to retirees in the next three years. Bryson was less optimistic, saying he’d be happy to have the ground flattened and foundations poured by then.

Brooks said if he could wave a magic wand, he’d have housing that preserves historical significance, but he highlighted the difficulty of finding a contractor who could make that dream a reality. Smith echoed Brooks’s concerns, pointing to the “rough PR” of demolishing existing homes and forcing people to relocate while construction is underway.

Sales tax exemptions

The candidates were in agreement again when moderator Duff Mitchell proposed a seasonal sales tax exemption of 2% beginning Oct. 1 and ending March 31 and 6.5% from April 1 until Sept. 30.

Closing comments

The candidates each had two minutes to summarize why they’d make a good Assembly member.

“There’s not going to be any wrong vote in this race,” Brooks said. “Everyone up here is awesome.”

Nimmy Phillips, owner of the popular downtown Indian restaurant Spice, concluded the forum.

“Leadership is not a rank, and leadership is not a position,” Phillips said. “Leadership is a choice, and it has nothing to do with your position in the organization. If you decide to look off to the person to the left of you, and to the person to the right of you, you have become a leader.”