Troll looks to hold Assembly seat this fall

Juneau Assembly member Kate Troll will seek re-election in this fall’s municipal election, she announced Friday.

As her first term on the Assembly draws to a close, Troll is looking ahead to October when she hopes to win her areawide seat again in order to continue the work she started three years ago.

Her highest priorities, according to a press statement, include making sure the city’s budget is in order, providing “robust support” for the public schools and fighting to make housing more affordable. And she believes having already served on the Assembly will help her fulfill her goals.

“When I gave it serious thought, I decided that a lot of what I’ve learned I should continue to put to good use for this community,” Troll told the Empire in a phone interview Friday morning. “I still have things to learn but I’m way up on the learning curve, and I still have things I want to get done, like fixing housing.”

Troll, a 24-year resident of Juneau, has worked in fisheries, state government, Native corporations as a consultant, and tourism. Now retired, Troll said that kicking her heels up is tempting but, ultimately, not how she wants to spend her time. She’d rather spend hours in City Hall every week participating in public meetings.

“No matter how much I’d like to go off and travel, I just couldn’t shake this deep sense of caring,” Troll said.

Though she is also eligible to run for the District 1 seat — which encompasses downtown, Douglas, Twin Lakes and Lemon Creek — Troll said she’d like to hold on to her current areawide seat.

Former Juneau mayor Bruce Botelho will serve as chair of the Troll campaign, and Greg Smith — who managed late mayor Greg Fisk’s campaign last fall — will be working as campaign manager.

Troll has already filed her letter of intent to run with the Alaska Public Offices Commission, and she plans to file for candidacy with the city next week. The candidate-filing period opens at 8 a.m. on Aug. 5 and closes at 4:30 p.m. on Aug. 15.

The municipal election will take place on Oct. 4.

• Contact reporter Sam DeGrave at 523-2279 or sam.degrave@juneauempire.com.