4 Special Coverage

Should the AJ Mine be reopened? CBJ Mayor and Assembly candidates have faced that hot-button issue since the city formed a task force last year to study the question: Under what circumstances, if any, should the CBJ pursue development of the AJ Mine?

A city-appointed AJ Mine Advisory Task Force looked at numerous issues surrounding the mine. Its report has been before the Assembly since May 2011.

The City and Borough of Juneau owns two-thirds of the former AJ mining property and Alaska Electric Light and Power owns the rest. It has not been mined since the 1940s.

At recent League of Women Voters and Juneau Chamber of Commerce forums, the candidates agreed the Assembly should look at the feasibility of re-opening the old mine, because it’s a city asset.

Jerry Nankervis is running unopposed for the Assembly District Two seat.

Paul Nowlin and Loren Jones are running for Assembly District One.

Nowlin said he definitely leans toward opening the AJ. This is Loren Jones’ second run for the Assembly. In the 2011 campaign he said Juneau needs a new water supply before even considering a mine, since the ore body is in Last Chance Basin – the main source of Juneau’s water.

This year, the city has been working on a water supply plan. Now that it’s underway, Jones said, the Assembly should look at other issues surrounding the mine near downtown.

The question posed to the candidates at Thursday’s Chamber of Commerce election forum was slightly different: Should the AJ Mine Advisory Committee continue its work?

Mayoral candidate Cheryl Jebe said the committee should study more issues surrounding a mine re-opening.

Mayoral candidate Merrill Sanford, a three-term veteran of the Juneau Assembly, has long been a proponent of the mine, as long as the water supply is protected.

The AJ Mine closed in 1944. In 1983, a mining venture company brought in Barig Resources, which later signed over the lease to Echo Bay Mines. Echo Bay dropped its attempt to open the AJ in 1997. Echo Bay’s efforts to redevelop the mine proved to be very controversial among Juneau residents.

Two measures to fund numerous capital improvement projects in Juneau will come before voters next week.

One calls for extending the city’s temporary 1-percent sales tax for five years to pay for more than $34 million in capital improvement projects. The other would issue bonds to cover nearly $25 million in projects, including maintenance of various city facilities.

And where do the candidates for mayor stand on the proposals? That was one of the first questions at yesterday’s Juneau Chamber of Commerce Election Forum.

The chamber is recommending a no vote on the ballot measures.

Former Assembly member Merrill Sanford said he would have voted against the proposals when the current Assembly put them together. He said there is still time to consider the projects because the temporary 1 percent sales tax does not expire until next year.

Though Sanford’s opponent, Cheryl Jebe, said she doesn’t like the way the current Assembly has packaged the projects, she will vote for both the sales tax and bond measures.

Projects bundled under the 1 percent sale tax include major maintenance and improvements to harbors; CBJ recreational facilities, parks and trails; and Capital Transit. Also, partial funding for snow removal equipment facility at the Juneau International Airport, a Mendenhall Valley library, a mental health facility for children at Bartlett Regional Hospital, and a Sealaska Heritage Institute cultural education facility, among other things.

The bond proposition includes improvements at the airport terminal, Aurora Harbor, Eaglecrest and Centennial Hall, as well as parks and recreation facilities.

The Assembly candidates also spoke on the sales tax and bond propositions at the chamber and a recent League of Women Voters Forum.

Three candidates are running for two seats on the Juneau Assembly in next week’s municipal election.

Loren Jones and Paul Nowlin are competing for the District One seat, currently held by David Stone, who has reached his term limit and cannot run for re-election.

Jerry Nankervis is the only candidate for the District Two seat being vacated by Ruth Danner, who has decided not to run again.

This is Loren Jones’ second try for the Assembly. Last year he lost to Carlton Smith by 73 votes.

Jones retired from the State of Alaska Department of Health and Social Services in 2003, after 30 years. He has served on the board of the city-owned Bartlett Regional Hospital, as well as other boards, which he says have taught him the value of listening, asking good questions and working together.

Paul Nowlin is an office manager at Petro Marine. He says he’s running for the Assembly because he wants to give back to the community.

Jerry Nankervis retired last year from the Juneau Police Department, where he reached the rank of captain. He says his 24 years at JPD are equivalent to 24 years of community service.

The candidates participated in the recent League of Women Voters Forum, where they were asked how they will vote on the upcoming sales tax and bond measures.

One measure calls for an extension of the city’s temporary 1 percent sales tax for five years to pay for more than $34 million in capital improvement projects. The other measure is nearly $25 million in bond sales for a list of additional projects, including deferred maintenance of various city facilities.

The Juneau Chamber of Commerce is recommending a no vote.

While Jones said he supports and will vote for the measures, he understands the chamber’s concern about paying for deferred maintenance in bond issues.

Nowlin said he plans to vote no on the sales and bond packages.

Nankervis said he still isn’t sure how he would vote, but he also understands people’s concern over the maintenance bonds.

The municipal election is Tuesday, Oct. 2.

Confused about all the upcoming elections this fall? Want to know more about the voting process?

Go to the Voter Registration Rally Thursday in Juneau.

It’s part of the nationwide Native Vote Action Week, with a number of events being held in Alaska to increase voter turnout.

Juneau’s is sponsored by Tlingit and Haida Central Council and Sealaska. It will be held at Elizabeth Peratrovich Hall.

Organizer Nicole Hallingstad says it’s open to all Juneau residents, but the primary goal is to increase the number of Alaska Natives who vote.

While 70 percent of Sealaska shareholders over age 18 living in the state are registered, that doesn’t mean they actually vote.

“We hope to increase the understanding in the Alaska Native population that your vote literally is the source of our collective strength,” Hallingstad says.

People who need to register to vote, update their current registration, or want to learn more about the election process should attend, she says. Many people never register, and many others register but never go to the polls, because voting is an unfamiliar process.

“So we’ll actually have standing ballot booths that are exactly like those you’d see at any balloting station,” Hallingstad days. “People can get a mock ballot. They can get familiar with the process of showing their ID, casting their ballot and going through the act of electing to try to increase familiarity, reduce some of the fear or uncertainty around that process, and get people more comfortable with voting.”

The Voter Registration Rally is from 4 to 8 p.m. Thursday at Elizabeth Peratrovich Hall on Willoughby Avenue.

Juneau’s municipal election is still two weeks away, but voters can now cast absentee ballots at two polling places in town.

Ballots are available at City Hall Assembly Chambers and in the Mendenhall Mall. Voting hours at the mall are 10 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. weekdays, and noon to 4 p.m. on weekends. City Hall voting hours are 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., weekdays only through October 1^st.

City Clerk Laurie Sica says any registered Juneau voter can cast an absentee ballot for any reason, and many people prefer it to voting on Election Day.

“It’s just convenient,” Sica says. “And they don’t forget then on Election Day or don’t put themselves in a bind and get to the poll by 8 o’ clock.”

In the past eight municipal elections, city records show between 13 and 15 percent of voters have cast absentee ballots. Sica says the city saw a big increase when it started offering early voting at the Mendenhall Mall about 10 years ago.

Absentee ballots are also available for mail-in and fax-in voting by contacting the clerk’s office.

While most regular ballots will be counted on Election Night, Sica says absentee ballots are always counted a few days later.

“We have to cross check to make sure that that person didn’t go to a poll on Election Day and cast a ballot there,” she says. “So, we do that cross check before we approve all the ballots that are absentee to be counted.”

Municipal Election Day is Tuesday October 2^nd.

Juneau voters will choose a new mayor, two new assembly members, three school board members, and decide two ballot propositions that would fund capital projects for the next five years.

Alaska Primary 2012          U.S. Representative & Ballot Measures           Alaska Senate          Alaska House

Today is primary election day statewide.

Polls open at 7 a.m. and will stay open until 8 o’clock tonight.

Division of Elections Director Gail Fenumiai says she expects the first results to hit the web about 9 p.m., but it will be late before all the results are in, since some rural precincts still count their ballots by hand.

“So those are usually the precincts that are the latest to report. Usually it’s around 11, midnight just because of the hand count precincts. They just take a long time to get their results in,” she says.

Absentee ballots from overseas are accepted up to 15 days after the election.

Fenumiai says the plan is to count ballots cast in the early voting process tonight with ballots cast on Election Day.

“Our first count of absentee ballots and the remaining early votes will be done seven days following the election. We go through a process to check for duplicate voting to make sure people did not vote a by-mail ballot then go to their polling place and vote on Election Day,” she says.

The state review board will convene on Sept. 12, the 16th day after the election. Fenumiai anticipates the election will be certified about Sept. 20.

Check back before 9 p.m. for election results. Also tune into KTOO Radio at 9, 10 and 11 p.m. for statewide updates from the Alaska Public Radio Network.

Alaska Primary 2012          U.S. Representative & Ballot Measures           Alaska Senate          Alaska House