Final results in Juneau’s Oct. 1 municipal election were certified Tuesday, reflecting a general status quo preference by voters who registered the fifth-highest turnout in a local election since 2000.
A total of 10,880 ballots were cast in the by-mail election among 28,113 registered voters, for a turnout rate of 38.7%, according to the certified results published by the City and Borough of Juneau municipal clerk’s office. Since 2000 that trails only rates of 39.52% in 2003, 38.76% in 2004, 40.37% in 2007 and 42.73% in 2020 — although nine of the 11 local elections from 1990 to 2000 had higher rates, the majority ranging from 45% to nearly 63%.
All of the incumbents on the ballot prevailed, including Mayor Beth Weldon being elected to a third three-year term, three members of the Juneau Board of Education seeing reelection and two more school board members looking to survive recall efforts. Voters also rejected by a 61%-39% tally a Ship-Free Saturday ballot measure that would have banned large cruise ships in Juneau on Saturdays and the Fourth of July.
The election results are an encouraging statement about the general performance by Juneau’s leaders, said Deputy Mayor Michelle Bonnet Hale, one of two Assembly members who chose not to see reelection, in an interview Tuesday.
“As I look at the results of the election I do feel like we were doing OK — and I don’t regret stepping away,” she said. “There are little pings because I won’t be in that decision-making seat, for sure, but they are very small pings. I am really looking forward to not being there until 11 o’clock on Monday night. I am really looking forward to eating dinners with my family and, frankly, I am really looking forward to my CBJ email account being turned off and me not being able to look at those emails anymore because we get some really awful emails.”
Weldon defeated challenger Angela Rodell by a vote count of 6,230-4,262, Neil Steininger defeated Connor Ulmer for the Juneau Assembly District 1 seat 5,820-3,294, and Maureen Hall defeated four other Assembly District 2 candidates with 3,552 votes (with Nathaniel “Nano” second with 3,034 votes), according to the certified results.
Hall will replace Hale, while Steininger will replace Wáahlaal Gíidaak Barbara Blake. Hale said both of the new members have distinct strengths they will provide the Assembly since Hall is a retired school nurse and Steininger a longtime financial analyst who formerly served as Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s budget director.
“We have seven seasoned Assembly members now and then we have two new ones who seem rock solid,” Hale said.
In the race for three open Juneau Board of Education seats, incumbents Elizabeth Siddon (5,629 votes), Will Muldoon (5,235) and Amber Frommherz (4,396) defeated three challengers, with Jenny Thomas the closest of them with 3,154 votes. Recall petitions for school board president Deedie Sorensen and vice president Emil Mackey are failing by respective votes of 3,562-6,665 and 3,753-6,482.
The Ship-Free Saturday ballot proposition was defeated by a decisive vote of 4,196-6,575, while two bond measures got similar margins in favor with a $12.7 million bond for public safety equipment passing 6,205-4,457 and a $10 million bond for wastewater treatment plant upgrades passing 7,000-3,565.
Additional statistics about the election are scheduled to be presented by the municipal clerk during the Assembly’s reorganizational meeting on Monday, when new members will be sworn in and committee assignments made.
Hale said her advice to Hall as her replacement includes avoiding social media since the dialogues are often toxic and keeping up the respectful attitude other members have even when there are disagreements. Also, she said, it’s important to keep up with issues and be ready to vote on matters that may surface “out of the blue.”
“I think I would tell her really understand your packet and have a sense of how you want to vote, but always be open to what other Assembly members have said or do say, and open to what the public says,” Hale said. “You don’t have to know ‘this is how you’re going to vote,’ but you need to have a really solid sense of where you stand on an issue before you even go into the meeting because if you don’t you might get caught out and suddenly you have to vote.”
• Contact Mark Sabbatini at mark.sabbatini@juneauempire.com or (907) 957-2306.
