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Discover the heartbeat of Juneau's cultural and community landscape with 'Capital Chat.' This series explores the vibrant world of the community, arts, and dynamic cultural and social events happening in Alaska's Capital City. Tune in to 'Capital Chat' for your essential guide to the pulse of our community, where every story is an adventure and every voice matters.
And now Capital Chat on KINY, where we connect you with Juneau and Southeast Alaska's community organizations only on KINY.
Speaker 2:Hello, and welcome to Capital Chat. I'm your host this morning, Angel Montgomery. And in the studio, we have deputy city clerk Andy Hirsch and Phil with CVJ. How's going today?
Speaker 3:Good. How are you?
Speaker 2:Thanks for having us. Super excited about I have, like, a full list of questions. So I say we dive in. We're entering another municipal election season. Can you give us an overview of what residents should know over the next few weeks?
Speaker 4:Yes, I would love to. So, kind of the first big one is that candidate filing opens on Friday, this Friday. Friday. And so if you have ever thought about, gosh, I should be on the assembly or, woah, I really care what the school board's up to. I should be one of those people making those decisions, like now is the time.
Speaker 4:It's a ten day file period so it opens on Friday, it's the seventeenth. It closes on Monday the twenty seventh and that's in order to get your name on the ballot. And so we're really hoping that people sign up and decide to come. So there are three assembly seats open. There's an area wide seat.
Speaker 4:There's a district one and a district two seat. And then there's two board of education seats open.
Speaker 2:Okay. And when it comes to the Juno Assembly, what kind of qualifications do candidates need to to meet to actually run?
Speaker 4:Yeah. So the big one is you have to be a registered voter here in Juno. And so that means you have to be 18, you have to not have been convicted of a crime of moral turpitude. Basically, have to be a registered voter, right? And you have to live here.
Speaker 4:And you have to have lived here for at least a year. The of the only other big requirement is if you decide you want to be a District 1 or a District 2 seat, you have to live in those districts. So we're very different from the state, where you only vote for the people that are in your district, right? You're in House District 3 or House District 4. But in Juneau, the assembly represents everybody.
Speaker 4:Mhmm. So you get to vote for everybody. But we have decided as a community, we don't want like nine people who are all from the same neighborhood being on the assembly. So those rules are just to make sure that people are spread out, that we have some folks from Downtown Douglas, we have some folks from the Valley. And so those are what our districts are.
Speaker 4:So if you're running for a district seat, you have to live in the district.
Speaker 3:And I think there's a conception that or I've heard a lot of people say like, oh, I can't run for for assembly. I I don't know x I don't know anything about x, or z, which, you know, there's a lot to learn when you're on the assembly, and there's a lot of content to go through, obviously, and get rolling with. But I think the assembly, the way it's put together kind of relies on having diverse viewpoints and backgrounds in it. So, like, if you're thinking about it, think about it seriously and read about what it takes and maybe throw your hat in the ring. You never know.
Speaker 3:Brecken Hendrix, the city clerk, did recently do a really great video that's live on the CBJ YouTube right now and also on the juno.orgelections web page that outlines everything you might not know about what Assembly members do and what to expect if you are thinking about entering that role.
Speaker 2:And what you first I wanted to touch on when you first started talking about what you might think you need or need to be to be or run for assembly or local government. Can you just tell me what do you think the biggest misconception people might have about running for our local office?
Speaker 3:I'll do you want to go first?
Speaker 4:I would say a lot of people might be scared about campaigning and the rules and have and all all surrounding that. And the work to campaign is has some similarities but is also kind of different than the work of being on the assembly. So when you're on the assembly, it's about being a decision maker, right? And building consensus and deciding these long term views of what we want our community to look like and how do we get there, right? And that's pretty different than like door knocking and campaigning.
Speaker 4:But there are some elements that are the same like all assembly meetings happen in public so you have to be at least moderately comfortable as a public speaker because there aren't secret backroom dealings. Everything is in public. And so that's very similar to campaigning, being able to talk about what your ideas are and try to convince voters why you are the best candidate. Mhmm.
Speaker 3:Would say, kind of back to what I mentioned previously, you don't need to be an expert in everything. Mhmm. You know, because that's asking a lot. Yeah. I think what is more important is that you need to be willing and ready to learn a lot and take in a lot of information and understand a lot of diverse viewpoints and how those really feed into the decision making that the assembly ultimately does.
Speaker 2:What kind of qualities do you think make someone an effective assembly member?
Speaker 4:Like Phil just said, you know, able to learn, knowing kind of where you might have gaps and putting
Speaker 3:in
Speaker 4:the time and effort to fill those. Being like, gosh, I really don't know anything about X, Y, Z and in a couple weeks I'm supposed to make a big decision about that. So, being comfortable asking questions, talking to people and learning, and having a sense of passion for your community, I think. Right? Yeah.
Speaker 4:So loving Juno and wanting what's best for Juno, I think is very helpful.
Speaker 3:I don't think I have anything to add to that.
Speaker 2:And what kind of commitment should someone expect if they're they are elected to assembly?
Speaker 4:Great question. Like
Speaker 3:There's a lot of meetings, so thank God we're a lot meetings.
Speaker 4:So our best estimate is an assembly member should probably be spending ten to fifteen hours per week preparing for meetings, asking questions and then being in meetings. And there's it changes through the course of the year, there's more during budget season, there's a little less in the summer, But most assembly members probably attend about seven meetings a month. Again, sometimes it's a little more, sometimes it's a little less. A former assembly member basically said it will take the amount of time you're willing to give it. So we've had former assembly members who spent forty hours a week attending every meeting and asking tons of questions.
Speaker 4:And then, you know, we have had other assembly members who have, I will say larger commitments in the workforce or have young children, things like that. And you know, they might adhere closer to that ten to fifteen hours.
Speaker 3:Wonderful.
Speaker 2:And I know that when we first started, we did talk about the deadlines. Could you tell me that once again? Because it's it's coming up, right? The opening at least.
Speaker 4:Yeah. So I would love to. So eight a. On Friday the seventeenth, filing opening opens. So that's the first time you can come to our office.
Speaker 4:You know, we always make it a little bit special that day. There's generally like a treat if you come in and you you file on the first day.
Speaker 3:There's usually candy. There's always candy.
Speaker 4:And then that stays open for ten days. So you have until 04:30PM on Monday, July 27 to file. And that's in order to get your name on the ballot. There are some shenanigans. If you miss the window, you can still run as a writing candidate.
Speaker 4:I don't really recommend it because then you have to, like it's a lot more work. So if you're thinking about it, now is the time to just file.
Speaker 2:And is there somewhere online that people can find, like, official election information, important deadlines, the the filing forms themselves, and voter resources or anything?
Speaker 4:Absolutely. So that would be at our website, which is www.juno.org/clerk/elections. You can also Google search CBJ elections and that should get you to the correct page. And so we have all of the candidate resources, we have all the forms, we have some training videos. We have all the dates for the election.
Speaker 4:Yeah.
Speaker 3:The other thing I would call attention to that maybe you can speak a little bit on, Andy, is the differentiation between municipal elections and state elections because I know that people can get confused about the differing information there.
Speaker 4:That's because it's confusing. So I just thank you, Phil. I do wanna put a plug in. Like, CBJ runs we run our own election and it is entirely separate from the states. And so what that means is if you are gonna be out of town during our election and you need an alternate way to vote by you need an e ballot, you fill out the application for us, that doesn't translate to the state.
Speaker 4:Like, if you're also out of town for the state election, you need to separately fill out all of your applications with them. And so again, you know, very different. So if you vote in the primary on August 18, that'll a polling place in person election. And then for our election, October 6, it's by mail, so we'll automatically mail you a ballot. But then you're going back to the polling place for the November general, right?
Speaker 4:So they're just different.
Speaker 3:It's confusing. And if you're ever in doubt or confused on what to do, definitely visit the website Andy mentioned, juno.org/clerk/elections, Or give the clerk's office a call, and they will always help you out.
Speaker 4:We love talking to people.
Speaker 2:And obviously, not everyone wants to run for, you know, elected office, but there are a lot of ways to serve. Can you tell me a little bit more about the city boards and commissions? I would love to.
Speaker 4:CBJ has a lot of different boards and commissions that are available at kind of different levels, right? So, we're always looking for people to help serve. And so, these different boards allow you to have input and provide expertise in a certain area and they also are really good training to get you used to like Robert's rules of order and how meetings work and kind of all of these things so that if you decide in the future that you want to go for the assembly or the school board, it doesn't completely come out of left wing. And so there's some kind of boards, you know, like the Douglas Advisory Board. It's about being a Douglas, you know, a Douglas resident and how to make Douglas a great community.
Speaker 4:Historic Resources Advisory Committee is all about, you know, Juno's historic resources, so all of our old stuff. And so those are more advisory where they you know, you have a passion or you have an expertise and so you can provide the assembly your expertise. And then there's kind of these other boards, Eagle Crest, Bartlett Regional Hospital, Docks and Harbors, where an airport where it's you're doing a lot more with budget and so that is also really good training to be prepared for a future assembly budget. Also, they're just great to be on even if you don't think you may be an assembly member in the future.
Speaker 3:I would agree with that. I am looking at this sheet in front of me, and the youth activities board is on here, I've I've served on that one. And it's a great it's so rewarding to participate in these groups and just, like, lend your point of view and your expertise to these decisions that really impact the community in really unique ways. So I I would definitely recommend people check out the full list if they maybe wanna get involved, but don't wanna run for the assembly, which can be a tall order. And that full list is available at juno.org/clerk/boardscommittees.
Speaker 3:But if you just go to the clerk's page, you'll see all the links there and you can find it.
Speaker 2:Phil has a remarkable talent of answering my next question before I say it every single time. I wanted to kind of touch on that a little bit though, the impact that it has on you and others that are volunteering through these advisory groups. Have you seen a lot of that? I mean, you've experienced it yourself.
Speaker 3:I mean, I'll speak for me personally. When I was on the Youth Activities Board, if you're not familiar, that board is charged with granting funds to all the different youth activity groups since you know anywhere from sports groups, the arts, like there's a lot. There's more than I was even aware of before I started. And it's really great to see how the city is involved with and concerned about the operations of these groups and making sure that the young people in Juneau have the recreational resources they need to grow up in our community in a fulfilling way. So it's very rewarding.
Speaker 3:I don't know if I answered your question with And that's only my point of view on this one board also. So there's a lot of other people in Juno that are involved in these groups that I would encourage people to talk to if they're thinking about getting involved because they have a lot of insights. Yeah.
Speaker 2:I I love it. Honestly, I think that it's so important to be involved. What are some other ways, though, that residents can stay involved in city government even if they don't want to run for office? Obviously, this is one of them. Is there any other things that you'd want people to know about?
Speaker 4:Yeah. So, there's a lot of different opportunities. So, one of the things would just be, you know, to pay attention and see what's going on. And you can always email the Assembly for a public comment. You can come to meetings.
Speaker 4:You can provide public comments at the meetings.
Speaker 3:I'll chime in and say, piggybacking off what you just said, Andy, I would definitely recommend people check out the assembly meeting calendar and start coming to a few meetings even if you're not sure what they're about because it can take some time to kind of start understanding topics and the way Robert's rules work and how the assembly talks about issues. And reminder, you don't have to stay for the full meeting either. Think a lot
Speaker 4:sense. The best part is the last five minutes.
Speaker 3:That is true. When everyone starts just wanting to go home and things get a little fun. It's the meetings can be a lot and they can be very dense and you can show up for just a little bit and get a taste and start understanding things and then you can leave and come back another day and take it in a very measured capacity. Because if if you just try to dive in, it can kind of be like drinking from a fire hose. You know?
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 2:I get that. When I'm I'm sure that you've heard this a lot, and I I just wanna touch on it because it's something I feel like I hear often. What would you say to someone listening right now who feels their voice doesn't make a difference?
Speaker 3:I would say that it definitely does. I know that sometimes it can feel a little defeating when you participate in public testimony at a meeting and the assembly maybe goes in a completely different direction. And I can feel like they didn't listen to you, but that's not the case. What the assembly is doing is weighing a lot of different priorities and concerns all at once. And public input is always and will always be a very important piece of that.
Speaker 3:So I would encourage people to just keep showing up and keep saying what they want to say and what they think the assembly needs to hear. Because the more consistently that the assembly receives a message, the more they will hold it in their consciousness when making decisions, if that makes sense.
Speaker 2:That makes absolute sense.
Speaker 3:Is that accurate? I think so.
Speaker 4:You know? And the assembly are nine people, and they are citizens in our community just like you and me and Phil. They are people with, like, robust lives, who are just trying to really do the best, that they can. And I I hear where people are coming from for sure. I think as as a personal citizen, if if I had to hear from 30,000 people in the community, like that would be completely overwhelming.
Speaker 4:And it would feel, I think all 30,000 of those people would feel like I'm not listening to And so I just I hope you I hope you run for assembly and can experience the other side. Consider, you know, consider throwing your name in the ring and becoming a candidate and then serving on the assembly. But it is people I think everybody just wants to do the best job they can. Yeah. And I think as citizens, we have very real differences of opinion about what the best is and what that means and how it looks for people.
Speaker 4:And those aren't wrong. And just because the assembly chooses to go a way that I didn't want them to go doesn't necessarily mean that they didn't listen to me and take considerate take my ideas in consideration.
Speaker 2:Absolutely. We've covered a lot today. Is there anything else that you guys want to highlight? Anything that we might have missed that we feel is important that the listeners know?
Speaker 3:I don't think so. I think I will plug one more time the clerk website for elections, juno.org/clerk/elections. All the information is on there. I highly recommend people check it out.
Speaker 4:The last thing I would want to plug that is that the municipal election is the last day to vote is Tuesday, October 6. So, please, it's one way to have your voice be heard.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Tuesday, October 6. Put that in your calendar. We'll be back with more of everything happening in the capital city right here