Empire Archives is a series printed every Saturday featuring a short compilation of headline stories in the Juneau Empire from archived editions in 1985, 1995 and 2005.
This week in 1985, a person dressed as a gorilla and running under the name “Joe Gorilla” emerged as a star write-in candidate in the City and Borough of Juneau mayoral race as the municipal election approached. The man promised bananas in exchange for his vote.
Original Story: “Joe Gorilla: Spoof candidate swings into mayoral race” by Chuck Kleeschulte. 09/09/1985
This week in 1995, a report was released that revealed Juneau’s population increased by 2.5% between July 1994 and 1995, reaching 29,228 residents in total. Juneau’s growth outpaced Anchorage and Fairbanks’ percentage of population increase, which welcomed a 1% and 0.6% increase, respectively.
According to the most recent census data, Juneau’s population is estimated to be about 32,549, representing a 0.3% increase from the previous year. Since 2010, Juneau has seen an overall growth in its population by about 4.07%, according to the data.
Original Story: “Population inches up” by Mark Sabbatini. 09/06/1995.
This week in 2005, now-former City Manager Rod Swope gave a speech to the Greater Juneau Chamber of Commerce, addressing criticism regarding the city’s then-recent sale of lots for a subdivision near Lena Point.
Businesses argued the city “crossed the line” and the sale would take away customers from Juneau businesses seeking to develop that land. Swope said the city “had no interest in competing with the private sector” and called the sale an isolated case.
Original Story: “Juneau manager: City doesn’t aim to vie with businesses” by Andrew Petty. 09/11/2005.
• Contact reporter Clarise Larson at clarise.larson@juneauempire.com or (651) 528-1807.
