The decision by President Joe Biden to remove himself from the current presidential election was momentous. The decision was based on reality and overdue from a political perspective.
Biden’s decision to withdraw from the current presidential race has an analog in our community. Juneau also needs new leadership at the top of the ticket. For too long we have wallowed and wobbled about politically. Juneau desperately needs a fresh perspective. The sooner the better.
In October voters will decide who will be our mayor and elect two members to the Assembly. We need leadership that is committed to fiscal responsibility. For far too long we have borrowed and spent public funds unsustainably. Our Assembly sometimes avoids spending on critical needs yet pursues activities outside the core functions of local government.
The current Assembly has failed in many ways to seriously encourage increased housing. Our streets and public areas, both downtown and in the Valley, have increasing numbers of individuals with afflictions who routinely engage in belligerent and socially unacceptable conduct.
The situation with the increasing numbers of unhoused individuals who present a danger to themselves — and the public — is obvious. Significantly, this situation has not been satisfactorily addressed by the Assembly.
The Assembly has also failed to address obvious issues related to large-scale cruise tourism. The result is an ill-conceived initiative that would harm Juneau’s economic well-being and likely result in litigation based on constitutional provisions.
As someone who has drafted and worked on enactment of local and statewide initiatives in the past, make no mistake about what drives citizens to go through the hard work that the initiative process requires. At bottom of almost every initiative is a failure by elected officials to address legitimate concerns on the part of the electorate.
Juneau’s population is flat and our school enrollment has tanked. Our economic outlook is not particularly positive. Juneau property assessments have been needlessly inflated based on dubious methodology that radically escalated taxation in a way that deviated from actual property values.
Beth Weldon has had six years at the helm to demonstrate she is up to the job. Under her tenure, she attempted to ram through a new City Hall that was twice rejected by the voters. Mayor Weldon is part of a process where some staff are selected based on connections instead of competence.
We need a mayor committed to addressing actual problems this community is facing and someone prepared to get the tasks done instead of more calls for studies and diversionary spending on activities that support the basic needs of everyone in this place we call home.
Discretionary spending in our community is increasing, even as some core services are cut or held below minimal standards. And now, Mayor Weldon is leading the charge to borrow funds (via issuance of bonds), to replace a portion of the infrastructure at the sewage treatment plant. Shouldn’t the fees we all pay for water and sewer pay for this infrastructure? Borrowing for maintenance is surely an obvious indication of fiscal irresponsibility and reason enough to question the mayor’s financial acumen.
At present, and for several years, the CBJ has been sitting on millions of dollars of tax revenue that could be used to lower property taxes or dedicated to vital services. The mayor and her colleagues on the current Assembly are content to hold on to this slush fund for purposes that are outside the actual needs of most Juneau residents.
It is time for a change. Juneau needs and deserves new leadership — the kind that is committed to meeting the essential needs of this community in a fiscally competent and responsible manner. The fluff and silliness that is characteristic of some City Hall spending will only come about if the voters wake up and provide genuine leadership.
Real leadership is not about spending and promising. If Juneau is going to remain an affordable, safe and enjoyable place to live, we need someone who will thoughtfully deliver what we need and can afford.
Vote for change — real change — in October.
• Joe Geldhof has been a resident of Juneau since 1979.
