Local voters could elect up to six new members to the Juneau Assembly and School Board this fall — if candidates step up.
The filing period for candidates in Juneau’s regular municipal election opens at the end of next week. Election day is Oct. 6.
So far only one newcomer has formally declared his candidacy.
Juneau Assembly
On the nine-member Juneau Assembly, the mayor and two others are up for re-election.
Mayor Merrill Sanford says he is seeking a second term.
“With the budget coming down from the State of Alaska and our budget situation, it could be very interesting, what we have to try to do to make our budget balance, for sure,” Sanford says.
He says he also wants to follow through with the city’s economic development plan. For now, he’s unopposed.
District 1 Assemblyman Jesse Kiehl shot down rumors from a political blog that intimated he was running for mayor.
“Nope, no plans to do that. I’m very happy serving in my current seat,” Kiehl says.
He won reelection to his second term on the Assembly unopposed last year.
Incumbent District 1 Assemblyman Loren Jones could not be reached for comment by press time. However, Jones filed a letter of intent in March to run again.
The only other candidate to formally file so far is newcomer Jason Puckett, who would face incumbent Jerry Nankervis in District 2.
“I figured it was time, cause we’re going through a lot of changes right now,” Puckett says. “Especially with, you know, tourism season is bigger and bigger every year, there’s a lot of new businesses downtown. Economy isn’t the best it’s ever been. We import most of our workers from other places as opposed to having people that live here have those jobs. So jobs are a big issue, affordable housing is a big issue for me.”
He also says he can help with the transition to legalized marijuana in Juneau. He says he lived in Colorado during the transition there, and saw what worked and what didn’t.
Puckett has lived in Juneau for about 2 years. He’s a GCI retail store manager, marshmallow entrepreneur and has served in the U.S. Marine Corps.
Jerry Nankervis could not be reached for comment.
Juneau School Board
Three incumbents on the Juneau School Board are finishing their fourth term.
Board President Phyllis Carlson says she hasn’t decided if she’ll run again.
“I do have time, but I do have grandkids,” she says. “And I just have things that I, that my family would probably like me around for more, but I am still also very passionate about our district and our public education system.”
Destiny Sargeant is also undecided. She cited concerns about caring for an elderly relative.
The final incumbent, Andi Story, is seeking her fifth term. She’s also finishing up a one-year term as president of the Association of Alaska School Boards.
“We really have to have a good budget process and plan at the state level so we can plan, you know, effectively at the local level, and so I’m really committed to keep working on that,” she says. “We’ve made some headway over the years. ”
More candidates?
For more information about Juneau’s municipal elections and how to run, visit www.juneau.org/clerk/elections/.
Candidates for Juneau Assembly and Juneau School Board must collect at least 25 qualified voters’ signatures and turn them in to election officials by Aug. 17. Candidates also must file a letter of intent, a financial disclosure and campaign finance paperwork with the Alaska Public Offices Commission.
Write-in candidates have until Oct. 1 to file their paperwork.
Assembly and School Board members serve 3-year terms. The mayor is paid $30,000 a year and regular Assembly members paid $6,000. School board members are paid a monthly stipend that amounts to $3,240 a year.
To vote in Juneau’s local elections on Oct. 6, you must be registered by Sept. 6.
