A full page advertisement in Sunday’s newspaper caused some commotion with people who would have preferred not to see their names — or the names of dead relatives — in connection with a controversial ballot measure.
The advertisement, paid for by The Partnership which serves as the fundraising arm of the new Juneau Arts and Culture Center, thanked supporters who “back the JACC.”
Proposition 3, a voting ordinance to fund a new Juneau Arts and Culture Center, is up for a vote in today’s municipal election, and is proving divisive.
[Three ballot questions high-JACC local election]
“We did want people to see that over the years, many people have come forward to encourage us,” said Nancy DeCherney, executive director of the Juneau Arts and Humanities Council and the secretary of The Partnership. “As people come forward saying that they don’t want their name out there, we’re taking their name off the web list and apologizing.”
DeCherney said that the names of supporters were from a long-running support campaign by the organization, founded in 2012. When the Partnership for the New JACC was present at an event, they would give out forms for people to sign, with a box they could check if they wanted to give permission to the organization to say that they were a supporter of the project. They also listed the names of donors.
“We’re doing our best and we’re going to continue,” DeCherney said. “There are 30-plus volunteers who have been busting their butts since 2012 to raise money for the community.”
[Thousands of dollars are being spent on campaigns for and against the New JACC]
The ad doesn’t say anything about Proposition 3 one way or the other, said DeCherney, though it does follow a smaller ad on a previous page exhorting readers to vote yes on the proposition for the funding of the new center.
“My apologies if people somehow feel their privacy was violated,” DeCherney said. “We didn’t intend that and we thank them for their support. We all live together and we all work together to make life better.”
Individuals claiming distress over the ad in places like Facebook were contacted, but declined to respond at all or go on the record with their grievances.
• Contact reporter Michael S. Lockett at 523-2271 or mlockett@juneauempire.com.
A screenshot from the public Facebook group Juneau Community Collective, stating concern over The Partnership’s advertisement in Sunday’s newspaper.
A screenshot from the public Facebook group Juneau Community Collective, stating concern over The Partnership’s advertisement in Sunday’s newspaper.
