Challengers file for three Juneau Assembly seats

Carole Triem updates her voter registration with Deputy City Clerk Beth McEwen as she files her candidacy paperwork for a seat on the Juneau Assembly on Monday in Juneau. (Photo by Rashah McChesney/Alaska’s Energy Desk)

The three Juneau Assembly incumbents whose terms expire this year are seeking re-election and each race will be contested. Election day is Tuesday, Oct. 3.

An iPhone alarm in the city clerk’s office signaled the 4:30 p.m. Monday cutoff for filing to run for Juneau Assembly. Each of the seats will be contested. For Jesse Kiehl’s District 1, which covers downtown Juneau and Douglas, it’ll be a three-way race.

Former bank manager Chuck Collins is running for the first time since his unsuccessful bid for an areawide seat in 2001. This time he said he’s targeting Kiehl, who’s often overruled by the Assembly majority.

“I’ve known Jesse for 20 years and he’s a good guy,” Collins said. “But I just don’t agree with some of his stances on it and I’m much more aligned with some things that other Assembly members have agreed with that he’s stood against.”

Juneau Assembly hopeful Chuck Collins poses outside city hall shortly after filing to run for a District 2 seat on Monday. (Photo by Jacob Resneck/KTOO)

Collins is staunchly in favor of extending the road up Lynn Canal. But he said his main platform is improving quality of life, which he said has declined due to crime and a visible homeless problem with people sleeping and loitering downtown.

“I think it’s time that we take our town back,” Collins said. “I’m not saying that they have to go anywhere or anything, it’s just that if they’re going to be citizens of Juneau then they need to be responsible citizens of Juneau.”

A second challenger has also filed to run. Loretto Jones owns a charter boat business. She’s also concerned about the face of downtown but for a different reason.

“One thing that we have to consider is that many people here in Juneau don’t want to go downtown due to the cruise ship industry,” Jones said. “And I worked in the Virgin Islands as a university professor and I saw the cruise industry, basically, made it very difficult for locals to want to be part of their community again.”

She’s agreed with Jesse Kiehl on several controversial issues including his opposition to the anti-camping ordinance and his skepticism over the road up Lynn Canal.

“I like Jesse, I think he’s a good guy,” she said. “I’m not running against the candidate. I think that there should be a change every once in awhile. Let somebody take a deep breath, they can always come back.”

Loretto Jones, pictured Monday, is running for a District 1 seat on the Juneau Assembly. (Photo by Jacob Resneck/KTOO)

District 2 includes the Mendenhall Valley, Auke Bay and points north out the road. Incumbent Debbie White is a real estate agent and often vocal proponent of initiatives rolled out by Mayor Ken Koelsch.

Her District 2 challenger is Rob Edwardson, an aide to Rep. Justin Parish. His positions on the road, the camping ordinance and streamlining local review of mines sharply differ from Debbie White.

“This time around I think I have something to offer based on my experience, based on my aptitude and I wanted to offer that up to the voters,” he told KTOO in a July interview.

There is also an area-wide seat currently held by Maria Gladziszewski, a manager with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. She’s being challenged by Carole Triem, an economic development adviser who also works for the state.

Rob Edwardson announced his candidacy for Juneau Assembly during a visit to KTOO on July 17, 2017. (Photo by Jacob Resneck/KTOO)
Rob Edwardson announced his candidacy for Juneau Assembly during a visit to KTOO on July 17, 2017. (Photo by Jacob Resneck/KTOO)

In an interview, Triem didn’t offer any specific differences from her opponent. Rather she just said she’s energized by the opportunity to run.

“There’s no time like the present so I think I have the skills and the passion and motivation and time and energy to devote to this now, so now’s the time,” Triem said.

The first Juneau Assembly debate is scheduled for 6 p.m. Sept. 14 in Assembly Chambers. The League of Women Voters is sponsoring it.

Jacob Resneck, CoastAlaska

Jacob Resneck is CoastAlaska's regional news director based in Juneau. CoastAlaska is our partner in Southeast Alaska. KTOO collaborates with partners across the state to cover important news and to share stories with our audiences.

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