Three Juneau Assembly members will be up for re-election in October and already the first challenger has filed papers to run. Coast Guard veteran Rob Edwardson is a legislative aide for Juneau Rep. Justin Parish, a Democrat. A resident of the Mendenhall Valley, he’s eligible to run in District 2 occupied by incumbent Debbie White. He’s a former senior manager who worked for several state agencies including the Department of Natural Resources and Department of Environmental Conservation.
Growing up in Ketchikan, the 52-year-old, his wife and two grown children have lived in Juneau off and on for about 20 years.
What made you decide to run for office?
Well, I’ve been watching the Assembly for the last couple of years through the newspapers, various articles and just 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.
There are a few hot button issues of late. First, where do you stand on the Juneau Access Project or the road?
I’m in favor of a road that leads out of Juneau to another road somewhere. I’m not necessarily in favor of the current plan because that just moves the ferry terminal 40 miles north. And I have some serious concerns about what are walk-on passengers going to do. I think it might actually curtail traveling rather than enhance it.
How about homelessness and specifically the Assembly’s anti-camping ordinance passed this winter?
The anti-camping ordinance I’m still a little bit confused about. I don’t know where the homeless were expected to go. Of course right now they’re across the street on Alaska Mental Health Trust land and that’s up for sale. So I don’t know what they’re going to go after that. I do know that the City and Borough of Juneau has organized a work group, and as far as I know they haven’t come out with a report or any comments on it but I’m still waiting to see.
What about the decision to reopen the city’s mining ordinance – what do you make of that?
I’d like to know what the reason that they’re reopening it. I don’t know that there was a problem that was looming that compelled the Assembly to address the mining ordinance. I do know that the 20 pages that it has now went through a pretty rigorous process and any effort to change it should go through an equally rigorous and public process.
And what do you make of the CBJ’s budget priorities? Anything that you’d like to see done differently?
Well, I think I would have to look at the history of the budget process. And I think a little bit, I’ll have more access to information if I’m elected and at that point I could speak to the budget priorities.
