A voter sits behind a privacy screen while filling out a ballot during the City and Borough of Juneau 2022 municipal election. (Clarise Larson / Juneau Empire file photo)

A voter sits behind a privacy screen while filling out a ballot during the City and Borough of Juneau 2022 municipal election. (Clarise Larson / Juneau Empire file photo)

My Turn: Juneau, like U.S., also needs new leadership at the top of the ticket

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.

More in Opinion

Web
Have something to say?

Here’s how to add your voice to the conversation.

A map shows state-by-state results of aggregate polls for U.S. presidential candidates Donald Trump (red) and Kamala Harris (blue), with states too close to call in grey, as of Oct. 29. (Wikimedia Commons map)
Opinion: The silent Republican Party betrayal

On Monday night, Donald Trump reported that two Pennsylvania counties had received… Continue reading

(Juneau Empire file photo)
Letters: Vote no on ballot measure 2 for the future of Alaska

The idea that ranked choice voting (RCV) is confusing is a red… Continue reading

(Laurie Craig / Juneau Empire file photo)
10 reasons to put country above party labels in election

Like many of you I grew up during an era when people… Continue reading

(Juneau Empire file photo)
Letter: Alaskans are smart, can see the advantages of RCV and open primaries

The League of Women Voters is a nonpartisan organization that neither endorses… Continue reading

Tongass National Forest. (U.S. Forest Service photo)
My Turn: Why I oppose privatization of the Tongass rainforest

Sen. Lisa Murkowski has been trying to privatize the Tongass for years.… Continue reading

(Juneau Empire file photo)
Letter: Supporting ranked choice voting is the honest choice

Some folks are really up in arms about the increased freedom afforded… Continue reading

(Clarise Larson / Juneau Empire file photo)
My Turn: Election presents stark contrasts

This election, both at the state and federal level, presents a choice… Continue reading

(Juneau Empire file photo)
Letter: Praise for Begich overlooks his support of Trump

Tom Boutin’s My Turn column praised Nick Begich. However, he left out… Continue reading

Former Juneau Mayor Bruce Botelho discusses ranked choice voting at a Greater Juneau Chamber of Commerce weekly luncheon on June 30, 2022. (Clarise Larson / Juneau Empire file photo)
My Turn: Vote no Ballot Measure 2 and protect open primaries and protect our democracy

The focus of last week’s Juneau World Affairs Forum was the rise… Continue reading

(Clarise Larson / Juneau Empire file photo)
Opinion: Begich wants to join the herd of timid followers

On the very top of his campaign website, Nick Begich III claims… Continue reading

In this sample primary ballot released by the state, fictional candidates compete in a primary election. (Ben Hohenstatt / Juneau Empire file photo)
Opinion: An opportunity to vote yes on something – Ballot Measure 2

Every few years, moderate and conservative voters seem to find themselves in… Continue reading