Monday afternoon at the City Clerk’s office in City Hall, it became clear that October’s election won’t be easy for any of the candidates.
Ten candidates for the City and Borough of Juneau Assembly or the Board of Education are registered for the Oct. 3 election, and each of them has at least one opponent. Four candidates filed their paperwork with the city on Monday, which was the final day to do so. Three CBJ Assembly members are up for re-election, and there are two spots open on the Board of Education.
In District 1, current Assembly member Jesse Kiehl is defending his seat. He’ll run against two challengers, including Loretto Jones, who registered with the city late last week. Jones is a longtime Juneau resident who is currently the owner of Sedna Charter, a tour and fishing charter company.
The second challenger for that spot tossed his hat in the ring Monday afternoon. Chuck Collins, a longtime Juneau resident and financial advisor, declared his intention to run for the District 1 seat as well. Collins has lived in Juneau for nearly 30 years, he said, and has been dissatisfied with the city’s direction as of late.
“I’m not thrilled with the way things are going in Juneau,” Collins said. “I feel like we need to take control of our town again.”
He said his slogan will be something along those lines, about “taking the town back.” He’s been particularly displeased with the amount of burglaries and homelessness in downtown. He said he doesn’t want to bring his grandchildren downtown as much as he used to, and is “tired of tripping over people sleeping or hanging out on the sidewalks.” He said he’s not against people being there, but thinks the city can handle the homeless problem better.
The second late addition to the candidate pool is Carole Triem, an economic development advisor for the state. Triem will run against Maria Gladziszewski, and also said she’s concerned with the rising amounts of homelessness and opioid issues. Gladziszewski said that the first time she ran for Assembly, there were three people running, so she’s used to having a challenger and is looking forward to “the exchange of ideas on the future of Juneau.”
Triem said she’s been pleased with the work Gladziszewski has done on the Assembly, but wanted to get more involved in local politics in the town where she hopes to live for a long time.
“I’ve always been involved in public policy issues,” Triem said, “but I hopefully, knock on wood, will be a resident of Juneau for quite some time so I’d like to make sure the city’s a good place to live.”
In District 2, current Assembly member Debbie White is defending her seat against Robert Edwardson, who filed his paperwork Monday morning. Edwardson, currently a staffer for Rep. Justin Parish, has held environmental roles with the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation as a statewide Cruise Ship Program Manager and as a Southeast Regional Manager for the Department of Natural Resources Division of Mining, Land and Water.
Tracy LaBarge, an owner or co-owner of multiple businesses and restaurants in town, was weighing her options until Monday afternoon, when she issued a statement saying her name will not be on the ballot in October.
“I feel that we are coming up on a very crucial time for our town and some difficult decisions need to be made for the health for our whole community,” LaBarge said in a statement. “However after deep consideration and conversations with staff and family, I have decided that now is not the time to run.”
Three candidates for two spots
Two seats on the Board of Education are also up for grabs, and three candidates have registered. Board President Brian Holst is running for re-election, but current board member Sean O’Brien is not running again. O’Brien told the Empire in July that he and his wife are ready to start traveling more and he thought someone who will be in town more would be a better option on the board.
When O’Brien made it clear he wasn’t running, Juneau resident and Academic Decathlon coach Jeff Short stepped forward. This is the first time Short has run for public office after 45 years in town, and he said he hopes to communicate with teachers about priorities and issues in the district.
Early Monday afternoon, 2016 Thunder Mountain High School graduate Kevin Allen submitted his paperwork with the city to run for one of the open spots. Allen, who was the Board of Education’s student representative during the 2015-16 school year, also ran in last fall’s Board of Education election. He finished fourth.
Holst said a little competition will be good for bringing educational issues to the city’s attention.
“Having more than two candidates ensures attention is paid to our schools during local elections,” Holst said Monday, “which is good for education in Juneau and good for the community.”
In addition to electing representatives, the public might vote on tax-related ballot initiatives as well. The Assembly is meeting Monday, Aug. 21 to take a final vote on whether to put an extension for the 1 percent sales tax increase on this year’s ballot, and whether to temporarily increase the hotel bed tax to help fund the new Juneau Arts and Culture Center.
Residents must register to vote by Sept. 3 (a month before the election), at an address within the CBJ boundaries. If a voter has changed his or her name or address, he or she must complete an updated voter registration application. People may register at the State Division of Elections’ Office, the State Division of Elections Region 1 Office at the Mendenhall Mall, the Municipal Building or any CBJ library. Online applications are also available at www.elections.alaska.gov.
As the clock hit 4:30 p.m. Monday, signaling the end of the campaign sign-up period, Kiehl dropped by the clerk’s office carrying a box of campaign supplies he had just picked up from the printer. He was checking in on the status of the race, and expressed excitement at the fact that there are so many candidates registered.
“It’s always good to give voters a race,” he said.
• Contact reporter Alex McCarthy at alex.mccarthy@juneauempire.com.
City and Borough of Juneau Assembly candidate Carole Triem puts the finishing touches on her registration for the election. This is the first time Triem has run for public office. (Alex McCarthy | Juneau Empire)
