Opinion

Nick Begich III campaign materials sit on tables ahead of a May 16, 2022, GOP debate held in Juneau. (Peter Segall / Juneau Empire file photo)

Opinion: An endorsement that puts the Constitution last

Nick Begich III wants another shot at becoming Alaska’s congressman at large. This time he wants to get ahead of the pack by securing the… Continue reading

Nick Begich III campaign materials sit on tables ahead of a May 16, 2022, GOP debate held in Juneau. (Peter Segall / Juneau Empire file photo)
A bucket of compost awaits pickup by Juneau Composts on Douglas in December of 2022. (Clarise Larson / Juneau Empire file photo)

My Turn: City’s proposed composting program threatens to push out longtime private operator

As the owner of Juneau Composts (JC), I would like to offer some comments about CBJ’s proposed compost program. At the recent Nov. 2 community… Continue reading

A bucket of compost awaits pickup by Juneau Composts on Douglas in December of 2022. (Clarise Larson / Juneau Empire file photo)
“I voted” stickers await voters on Election Day 2022. That election was the first regular general election in Alaska to include ranked choice voting, which was narrowly approved by voters in 2020. (Ben Hohenstatt / Juneau Empire file photo)

My Turn: Not a failed election

A recent article in the Empire for Dec. 6 was titled “Failed election shows why Alaska should repeal ranked-choice voting.” The article’s example from Alameda… Continue reading

“I voted” stickers await voters on Election Day 2022. That election was the first regular general election in Alaska to include ranked choice voting, which was narrowly approved by voters in 2020. (Ben Hohenstatt / Juneau Empire file photo)
(Juneau Empire file photo)

Letter: Complaints about California’s RCV voting are misguided in Alaska

Last Wednesday’s editorial by Trent England and Jason Snead should have been submitted to a California newspaper since data they cite was about problems that… Continue reading

(Juneau Empire file photo)
The LeConte ferry coated with cold-season ice. (Photo courtesy of the Alaska Marine Highway System)

Opinion: How not to build a lasting legacy of failure

Last week the Federal Transit Administration announced it was awarding $131 million in grants for the Alaska Marine Highway System (AMHS). That’s in addition to… Continue reading

The LeConte ferry coated with cold-season ice. (Photo courtesy of the Alaska Marine Highway System)
Juneau Assembly members cast a 6-3 informal vote on Nov. 6 in favor of the city’s tourism director exploring a strategy for 2026 and beyond that results in fewer annual cruise visitors. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire file photo)

Opinion: Assembly vote to reduce cruise ships risks sending taxes even higher

During a Nov. 6 Committee of the Whole meeting, Assembly members voted informally on whether the city should pursue cruise passenger reductions. The resulting 6-3… Continue reading

Juneau Assembly members cast a 6-3 informal vote on Nov. 6 in favor of the city’s tourism director exploring a strategy for 2026 and beyond that results in fewer annual cruise visitors. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire file photo)
A by-mail ballot asks voters in 2020 to approve a measure calling for rank choice voting, which was approved. A petition is now circulating calling for another ballot measure to repeal rank choice. (Ben Hohenstatt / Juneau Empire file photo)

Opinion: Failed election shows why Alaska should repeal ranked-choice voting

Most Americans just want elections where it’s easy to vote, hard to cheat and easy to trust the results. Alaska has experimented with ranked-choice voting… Continue reading

A by-mail ballot asks voters in 2020 to approve a measure calling for rank choice voting, which was approved. A petition is now circulating calling for another ballot measure to repeal rank choice. (Ben Hohenstatt / Juneau Empire file photo)
Visitors take a selfie on the downtown cruise ship docks in July. (Clarise Larson / Juneau Empire file photo)

My Turn: Know who you’re sitting with at the table

As a professional who has sat at many a negotiating table, I am all for sitting down to address concerns and differences, particularly when the… Continue reading

Visitors take a selfie on the downtown cruise ship docks in July. (Clarise Larson / Juneau Empire file photo)
Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy delivers remarks at the Rolling Back Regulations to Help All Americans event Thursday, July 16, 2020, on the South Lawn of the White House. (Official White House Photo | Joyce N. Boghosian)

Opinion: A constitutional defense of the administrative state

In the summer of 2020, then-Vice President Mike Pence told an audience gathered on the White House lawn that Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s administration had “modified… Continue reading

Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy delivers remarks at the Rolling Back Regulations to Help All Americans event Thursday, July 16, 2020, on the South Lawn of the White House. (Official White House Photo | Joyce N. Boghosian)
Former Juneau Mayor Ken Koelsch in 2018. (Michael Penn / Juneau Empire file photo)

My Turn: Assembly needs to retreat

We might not be privy to what the Assembly’s agenda is, but we need to begin with the premise that it wants to do the… Continue reading

Former Juneau Mayor Ken Koelsch in 2018. (Michael Penn / Juneau Empire file photo)
The Stikine River Flats area in the Tongass National Forest is viewed from a helicopter on July 19, 2021. The Stikine River flows from British Columbia to Southeast Alaska. It is one of the major transboundary rivers impacted by mines in British Columbia. (Photo by Alicia Stearns/U.S. Forest Service)

Opinion: Facing transboundary mining, Alaskans shouldn’t buy industry rhetoric

“Rest assured,” writes Michael Goehring, president of the British Columbia Mining Association, to Southeast Alaskans in his recent commentary. “Our industry is committed to managing… Continue reading

The Stikine River Flats area in the Tongass National Forest is viewed from a helicopter on July 19, 2021. The Stikine River flows from British Columbia to Southeast Alaska. It is one of the major transboundary rivers impacted by mines in British Columbia. (Photo by Alicia Stearns/U.S. Forest Service)
(Juneau Empire File)

Letter: Attorney general’s letter to libraries are an abuse of office

Earlier this month Treg Taylor, Alaska’s attorney general, published a letter to all the school and public libraries in the state to “help inform public… Continue reading

(Juneau Empire File)
An aging outhouse overlooks Tenakee Inlet. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire File)

My Turn: Murkowski’s bill will dramatically change map of public land in Southeast Alaska

There has been very little reporting on federal legislation that would greatly impact Southeast Alaska. Sponsored by Sen. Lisa Murkowski, Senate Bill 1889, and the… Continue reading

An aging outhouse overlooks Tenakee Inlet. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire File)
(Photo courtesy of the City and Borough of Juneau)

Opinion: Choosing a seat at the table

To advocates for limiting cruise ship tourism and combatting climate change, partnering with the titans of industry seems like a lost cause. However, Jim Powell,… Continue reading

(Photo courtesy of the City and Borough of Juneau)
A photo of Juneau featured on the front cover of this year’s annual “Economic Indicators and Outlook” by the Juneau Economic Development Council. (Juneau Economic Development Council)

Opinion: Troubling trends deserve Assembly attention

The economic indicators report published last month by the Juneau Economic Development Council (JEDC) is a wake-up call for our community. The findings are worrisome,… Continue reading

A photo of Juneau featured on the front cover of this year’s annual “Economic Indicators and Outlook” by the Juneau Economic Development Council. (Juneau Economic Development Council)
Passengers return to the Norwegian Sun on Oct. 25, the final day of this year’s cruise ship season in Juneau. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire File)

My Turn: “Partnering” with cruise ship industry isn’t in Juneau’s interests

Regarding Jim Powell’s lecture at the Evening at Egan event on Friday, Nov, 10, on partnering with the cruise industry to solve the problems of… Continue reading

Passengers return to the Norwegian Sun on Oct. 25, the final day of this year’s cruise ship season in Juneau. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire File)
Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., questions Navy Adm. Lisa Franchetti during a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on Sept. 14 on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

Opinion: Music to the ears of America’s adversaries

Two weeks ago, U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan made a commendable effort to end Sen. Tommy Tuberville’s (R-Ala.) one-man show of blocking hundreds of military promotions.… Continue reading

Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., questions Navy Adm. Lisa Franchetti during a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on Sept. 14 on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
(Juneau Empire File)

Letter: Thankful to see the construction by local Native organiztions

Sitting in my living room listening to nails pounding into the old DEC building under renovation by the Tlingit Haida Central Council (CCTHITA) I want… Continue reading

(Juneau Empire File)
Fog drifts through the trees in the Tongass National Forest on Monday, Dec. 9, 2019. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire File)

My Turn: A response to ‘There are no Landless Natives in Southeast Alaska’

Where to begin? Rebecca Knight’s — at best implicitly xenophobic and factually incorrect – opinion piece published Sept. 20 not only misconstrues the present legislation’s… Continue reading

Fog drifts through the trees in the Tongass National Forest on Monday, Dec. 9, 2019. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire File)
Alaska Permanent Fund Corp. board members, staff and advisors meet Oct. 30 at the corporation’s headquarters in Juneau to discuss a proposal to raise the fund’s rate of return by making riskier investments. The idea stalled when advisors suggested the strategy and timing are ill-advised. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire File).

My Turn: Need for accounting and legislative oversight of the Permanent Fund

The governor or Legislature or both need to conduct an audit format available to the public or engage in serious oversight of the Alaska Permanent… Continue reading

Alaska Permanent Fund Corp. board members, staff and advisors meet Oct. 30 at the corporation’s headquarters in Juneau to discuss a proposal to raise the fund’s rate of return by making riskier investments. The idea stalled when advisors suggested the strategy and timing are ill-advised. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire File).