The Whale

This week the issue has been "the Whale." About a year ago, former mayor Bill Overstreet came to the Assembly to ask for support for a whale sculpture done by Skip Walling, the same guy who did many of the other bronze sculptures around town. They are truly great pieces and everybody loves them. The Assembly expressed a cautious support of the concept and said they would commit to donating a piece of land and maintaining it once it was up. It was assumed that private fundraising would take care of the construction.

Evidently private fundraising has not been as successful as they needed because the group came back and asked for "startup" money of $500,000. I was really uncomfortable with that because it was a switch in what we had said we would do. I was especially uncomfortable with the idea that the money would be taken from the sales tax budget reserve. I asked if we could instead use cruise ship passenger fees. The mayor said I could not amend the current proposed ordinance to change funding sources. Given that decision, I opposed the ordinance. Right now, people are hurting. Prices are high, and tax dollars should not be used for this no matter how "nice" the sculpture is.

The ordinance passed 5-3, but Mr. Wanamaker "gave notice of reconsideration." That is a parliamentary technique where you get a second chance to vote on something. The idea is that additional information may change members' minds. So on September 8 we will first vote on whether to allow reconsideration. That is often granted out of courtesy. Then we will vote on the issue itself. Over the past few days we have had 40-50 emails vehemently opposing the project. The Empire blogs have been scathing about it. And only one or two people have spoken out in favor. So the question is whether any of my colleagues will change their minds. If they do, it will be because of citizen feedback. So if you have an opinion about this, make sure you tell us! Nothing will happen unless you do. Go to
http://www.juneau.org/assembly/webcontact/index.php
and select "entire Assembly" to get your message to all of us.

Public Participation

I was just talking with someone about an issue they thought was important. While I was happy to hear about it, I encouraged them to personally bring it to the whole Assembly. My colleagues listen to citizens a lot more than they listen to me. At the beginning of every regular Assembly meeting there is a time for what is called "Public Participation on Non-Agenda Items." If you have an opinion or idea that is not related to an issue we are hearing that night-- sign up in the back of the Assembly Chambers and you will have 3-5 minutes to present whatever you want. This has been a route that a number of people have used to get action on something.

While there are a variety of ordinances to be heard at our regular meeting Monday 8/25, there are two that you may be especially interested in. The first is a vote to put a bond issue on the October ballot to build a covered play area at DZ middle school. The second is an appropriation of $500,000 to support a whale sculpture for the waterfront. Click on the agenda and minutes link on the links at the right to get more information.

It's a race!

Yesterday, on the last day of election filing, Karen Taug was certified as a candidate running against me in the October 7 election. KINY news says she is a senior accountant with Sealaska.
Through the wonders of google I can see that she is a strong Road advocate. http://www.juneau.org/assembly/agendas/2006/2006-07-29/Public_Comments/2006-07-26-Karen_&_Ole_Taug_re_Juneau_Access_Road.pdf
She formerly worked for Goldbelt and is a strong Kensington Mine advocate. I'm sure I'll hear more.

I welcome the competition and look forward to a chance to talk about the issues that are so important to Juneau. I do hope this will not be a campaign about "the Road." This has been such a divisive issue for Juneau. It is always presented as an either/or issue-- an "us versus them." It has been used to categorize, stereotype and pigeonhole people. It has been a tool to shut down dialog.

What we need to do is work on issues that unite Juneau-- that help us move forward together. Juneau faces great challenges. Southeast Alaska has been declining, with Juneau hanging stable because of state government. But state government, as we know, is "creeping" out of Juneau up to Anchorage. We need to fight that creep, and also work to diversify our economy so that we are less dependent on state government as the only game in town. This is going to require Juneau citizens to pull together. If we are distracted and divided by issues like "The Road" we will be less able to meet this challenge.

Monday 8/11 Regular Meeting

At the beginning of each Assembly meeting we have a time called "Public Participation on Non-Agenda Items" when anyone can come and speak their piece about anything. Normally, there are three or four who want to speak- but Monday there were none. It really is an effective way to get heard. Assembly members almost always ask city staff to check out the issue and citizen requests often get met.

Most of the items we addressed were just approved by the Assembly. We "appropriated" millions of dollars - but most of it was "other people's money" -- either state or federal grants. We also introduced a some a bond issue for the October ballot on building a covered play area at DZ middle schools. All the elementary schools have covered play areas, but the middle schools have not - primarily because they have larger indoor gyms. But the DZ gym is occupied much of the time by organized Parks and Recreation activities. For whatever reason, this project never made it high enough on the School Board's wish list to get carried out. We confirmed with the state Education department that this project would qualify for the 70% state reimbursement, so the 1.6 million dollar project will cost Juneau around 500 thousand -- if the Assembly approves the ordinance and the voters vote for it. I support the project and encourage you to vote yes on the bond issue.

Last year there was a proposal from former mayor Bill Overstreet to build a large bronze sculpture of a whale jumping out of the water. Everyone thought it looked great, but wondered about the costs. The Assembly committed to paying 1.3 million for site work to place the sculpture somewhere, but not to fund the sculpture itself. Private donations are being solicited for that. Monday we introduced an ordinance to appropriate 500,000 for that project. I was uncomfortable putting out that money when private donations had been so minimal, but the Mayor and Mr. Bush argued this was needed to jump start the project. The appropriation is up for public hearing at the next regular Assembly meeting August 25th. You can view some information in the agenda of the 2/4/08 Lands Committee meeting. Please let me know what you think.

New taxi fares were approved. The taxi companies asked for implementation of a 75 cents a minute charge for waiting. Previously, that was only charged when a customer left the cab, but now it will be charged any time the cab is stopped or slowed way down in traffic.

You may have read in the July 20th Empire about lots of trash being dumped on Mendenhall Peninsula at a place called Blueberry Trail. That starts from the cutoff road from the end of Engineer's Cutoff over to Fritz Cove -- and is actually a trail to the FAA tower on the top of the ridge. At my urging the city has is working with the FAA to clean up the mess and block the entrance so vehicles cannot drive in.

I made a couple other comments. One was about bus overcrowding. With high gas prices our ridership is up and the busses are so crowded that they sometimes just pass stops where people are waiting. The Assembly needs to act on this and increase the our investment in Capitol Transit. We should be discussing this within the next month.

The other comment I made was a capitol creep issue. The Commissioner of Administration recently stated that jobs in Juneau that are not filled within 90 days will be shipped out to Anchorage or Fairbanks. (KTOO report) This has got to stop. It is slowly draining Juneau of its economic life. After my comment I was asked to draft a letter from the Assembly to the Commissioner. I encourage you to send your comments as well to Commissioner Annette Kreitzer.

Re-election

Today was the first day to file for Assembly seats. I turned in my petitions and was approved at 9 am. I have been overwhelmed with the support people have expressed. Being on the Assembly has been a real growth experience for me.

I did an interview with the Juneau Empire and I told them this experience has really humbled me and brought me to almost-- it sounds cheesy - but a love affair with this city. I have seen so many different sides of life. I have had the opportunity to meet so many different people. Juneau is just filled with committed citizens who want to make the world a better place. It is inspiring, and it is humbling.

I think I can contribute to the effort to make Juneau a great place to live. I think I can contribute to making democracy not just a word, but a way of life-- citizens acting together, as a community.

There are a lot of challenges ahead. Capitol creep is challenging us to make Juneau more than just a government and tourism city. We need to diversity our economy and support a broader array of businesses to give people good jobs so they can afford a good standard of living. It is all linked.

I look forward to continuing to work for this great Borough.

Comprehensive Plan

The Assembly will receive the final draft of the Comprehensive Plan on August 12. http://www.juneau.org/cddftp/CompPlanUpdate.php
This is really really important for citizens to review and comment on. It will guide city land use for the next decade. Please look it over and send me (and all Assembly members your comments and suggestions.

Your Tax Dollars at Work

One of the best ways to follow what dollars the city is spending on stuff is the Contract Activity reports submitted to the Public Works Committee http://www.juneau.org/clerk/PWFCAGENDA/documents/Contracts_032.pdf
You can see the construction bids that are outstanding, the RFP's, the professional services contracts, and a whole lot more. Infrastructure is a large proportion of where your tax dollars go and this is a good way to track it. The contract activity is presented at each Public Works committee meeting and you can review it in the agenda at http://www.juneau.org/clerk/PWFC.php

Ethics and Politics

With the indictment of Ted Stevens, the concept of ethical government in Alaska has taken another hit. The indictments and convictions of state legislators, the still-to-come trial of former Juneau representative Bruce Weyhrauch, and the recent flurry of issues surrounding Alaska's Department of Public Safety Commissioner have all contributed to the unsavory reputation Alaska politics is developing.

But this diary is not about state or federal politics, it is about Juneau politics. The Assembly is insulated from many of the ethical pressures and temptations that are at higher levels of government. First, because the Assembly is legally non-partisan, party politics does not control individual actions. Each member has their position, but we are not pressured to conform to a "party line." I think that is a good thing. Second, in our council/manager form of government the ability to direct money to individual causes (earmarks) is severely limited. Most budgeting is done by city staff, and while the Assembly has the power to change anything - its practical power is much less than state or federal levels. Third, the Alaska Open Meetings Act applies to everything the Assembly does. Unlike the state legislature-- we cannot "caucus" in private. Almost everything the city does is open to the public, and that scrutiny helps enforce ethical behavior. Since our system is not perfect, it needs your scrutiny.

So please keep it up. Attend public meetings. Attend or listen to Assembly meetings. Engage in this community government process. I think it works. But not without you.