The candidate filing period for Juneau’s local election opened at 8 a.m. sharp on Friday. And like clockwork, Juneau residents Nano Brooks and Emily Mesch were patiently waiting outside of City Hall, sipping coffee and chatting till the time struck.
Brooks and Mesch ran for seats on the Assembly last year but lost to Ella Adkison and Paul Kelly. This time around, they’re running against each other. But Brooks said he hopes to see more people turn out, too.
“The more people that run the better. I love seeing people get involved and throwing their hat in the race,” he said.
In this October’s local election, there will be six open seats: three on the Assembly — including the mayor’s seat — and three on the school board. There are also a few ballot propositions.
All of the open seats can be filled by anyone who is qualified to vote in Juneau and has been a resident for at least one year. For the Assembly seats, you also have to live in the district you’re running for.
The deadline to file is on July 22 at 4:30 p.m.
Brooks and Mesch are vying for the Assembly seat that represents parts of the Mendenhall Valley, Auke Bay and Out-the-road. Mesch said she’ll advocate for the same things she did last year — more housing, supporting schools and balancing cruise ship tourism.
She said what’s different this time is the rising stakes for those issues.
“I think on some level, everything is being at least attempted, but I think those are the things that we need to redouble our efforts on and making sure that we really find a solution for them,” she said.
Brooks said he and Mesch share similar goals, and he also wants to focus his campaigning on the recent hospital and school funding crises. And he said he hopes some of the ballot propositions can help boost voter turnout.
“I think this is all good things for getting people engaged and getting into the topics of the community,” he said. “Regardless of the topic on the ballot initiatives, when ballot initiatives are brought forth like this, that shows active community members, and that’s always a great thing.”
City Clerk Beth McEwen was ready to go Friday morning to help the pair file their paperwork. She said she recommends that people file sooner rather than later. There’s more information on how to do that on the election tab on the city’s website.
“Don’t wait until the last minute on the last day. Sometimes people get confused as to which forms to turn in,” she said. “We want to be able to help and facilitate that, and we don’t want to have to disqualify someone because they turned in the wrong form.”
The clerk’s office will be updating the website with certified candidates throughout the filing period. In an interview with KTOO in late June, incumbent Mayor Beth Weldon said that she planned to run for a third term this election.
“It’s been an extremely tough decision to make, especially with my husband, Greg’s, passing,” she said. “But I just come back to the same thoughts that I’m committed to Juneau, and I think I still have some things to offer.”
But Assembly members Michelle Hale and Wáahlaal Gídaag Barbara Blake said they don’t plan to run again.
The school board seats that are opening up are currently filled by Will Muldoon, Elizabeth Siddon and Amber Frommherz. All three told KTOO in May that they were still deciding whether to run again.
Ballots will be mailed to registered voters beginning on Sept. 12 and must be postmarked or returned by Oct. 1.
