Though the Assembly chambers in City Hall might not be pretty, it sure was pink on Monday night as city administrators and Assembly members donned the color in honor of departing Assembly member Carole Triem.
And, in true Triem style, she also arrived at the meeting wearing an all-pink outfit despite being unaware of the others’ secret plan.
The City and Borough of Juneau Assembly wears pinks while conducting a meeting Monday evening in honor of departing member Carole Triem. (Clarise Larson / Juneau Empire)
[Assembly member Carole Triem to resign]
Monday night’s Assembly meeting marked Triem’s last meeting as an Assembly member — for now — as she announced in late June that she would be stepping away from her role after serving for five years. She cited family medical issues as the reason for her premature departure.
During the late-night meeting, Assembly members and administrators shared kind remarks, and their best wishes to Triem and her husband, Sean Maguire of the Anchorage Daily News, who also attended the meeting. The pair will be leaving for Australia in early August, likely for at least a few months, she previously told the Empire.
Of the speeches given, Mayor Beth Weldon’s words took the cake as her remarks were shared in poem form, which provoked laughs from both Assembly members and residents in the audience.
“I have many talents,” Weldon said, laughing.
Assembly member Alicia Hughes-Skandijs thanked Triem for their time spent sitting next to one another on the Assembly.
“We have laughed, we have cried and we have laugh-cried — you have enriched my experience so much,” she said. “We will really miss you.”
Triem thanked her fellow Assembly members, the city administration and Juneau residents for supporting her throughout her time as an election official.
“The last five years have been pretty incredible — and I really feel like everyone I shared this time with, we often disagree with each other, but I know that we’ve always thought that everybody is here for the same reason,” she said, tearing up. “So it’s been an honor to work with you guys a lot.”
City and Borough of Juneau Assembly member Carole Triem and Deputy City Manager Robert Barr share a hug during the Assembly meeting Monday night. The meeting was Triem’s last time serving as a member as she departs from her role for family medical issues. (Clarise Larson / Juneau Empire)
With Triem leaving her post two years before her seat is set to expire, her position will now be open and on this October’s municipal ballot alongside other positions filled by current members Maria Gladziszewski (areawide), Alicia Hughes-Skandijs (District 1) and Christine Woll (District 2) that are up for the taking.
During the time between Triem’s departure and the election, her seat will be filled by previous Assembly member Loren Jones. Woll will chair the Finance Committee during that time as well.
According to City Manager Rorie Watt, because Triem and Gladziszewsk’s seats are both areawide positions, candidates who run for either position will be put into one pool. The candidate who receives the most votes during the election will take Gladziszewsk’s seat — which is for a full three-year term — and the candidate with the second most votes will take Triem’s seat — which is for two years.
Triem’s seat will be available for the candidate filing period which opens Friday, July 14, and closes Monday, July 24.
• Contact reporter Clarise Larson at clarise.larson@juneauempire.com or (651)-528-1807.
