Current and former members of the Juneau Assembly and school board offered their advice to prospective candidates at a workshop on Saturday.
Mayor Beth Weldon said she hopes it inspired some of the attendees to run in October.
“I’m glad to see some new faces,” she said. “I’m always hoping for more, but it’s good to see new faces.”
The city, the League of Women Voters and Friends of the Juneau Public Library have hosted the annual workshop for nearly a decade. Organizer Peggy Cowan said about 30 people had registered this year. It’s a handful more than last year, but still far fewer than used to sign up.
“Our registration in the last two years has been a fraction of what it was pre-COVID,” she said.
Last year, three Assembly members and two school board members ran unopposed. This year, three Assembly seats and two school board seats will be up for grabs. One of the three Assembly seats won’t have an incumbent, since Deputy Mayor Maria Gladziszewski can’t run again.
Weldon hopes all the open seats will have multiple candidates.
“I know it’s great to run unopposed, but it’s disappointing for the public that they don’t have a choice,” Weldon said.
Cowan said most people at the workshop were interested in running for the Assembly or school board. Two or three wanted to learn how they could support someone running for office.
“I think local government, local office, is one of the ways you can be the most effective in changing the world around you,” former deputy city manager Mila Cosgrove told the attendees.
That’s what made Nano Brooks think about running for an Assembly seat. He’s been researching the city charter and getting to know the Assembly’s committees and boards. Brooks thinks his experience with finance as a local business owner would serve him well on the Assembly.
“I thought that this would be the next greatest step in helping the community,” he said. “It’s what I’m all about.”
During their panels, past and present officials offered some common pieces of advice. One was to be ready to work on a range of issues once elected, not just those central to their campaigns.
That point stood out to realtor Joann Wallace, who attended the workshop to learn about running for the Assembly.
“I liked how they said you go into it with an opinion, but you also have to have an open mind,” Wallace said. “We all have to be learning all the time.”
She said the workshop also gave her a greater sense of the time commitment required. Several officials mentioned what they called the “Foodland factor” — getting stopped by constituents at the grocery store.
“It’s both this great opportunity to talk to the community, and also you have to remember that though you are one of seven, you have zero authority in Foodland to make any sort of decision,” said school board member Elizabeth Siddon. “And be very careful not to promise anything. It’s hard. Juneau is a small town.”
In May, the Assembly voted to make mail-in elections the default in Juneau. Former Assembly member Loren Jones said it was important for candidates to keep that timing in mind and get their message out quickly.
“Eighteen days prior to Oct. 3, some of the people you’re talking to have already voted,” he said.
The candidate filing period will open at 8 a.m. on July 14 and close at 4:30 p.m. on July 24. Write-in candidates must file a form with the city clerk’s office at least seven days before the election. Election Day is Oct. 3.
