Community

Former Juneau mayor Jamie Parsons died Saturday in Washington state after more than a decade battling cancer. He was 74.

Friends and former colleagues remember his sense of humor, his love of sports and his unfailing commitment to the capital city.

Jamie Parsons moved to Juneau in 1972 to become the city’s first Parks and Recreation director. He served on the Juneau Assembly for most of the 1980s and became mayor in 1991.

“I considered him a dear friend. He was a tireless promoter of Juneau and he’s going to be deeply missed by this community,” said Juneau Senator Dennis Egan, who served as Parson’s deputy mayor.

“One year we went to the Gold Medal Tournament. Albert Kookesh and Jamie and I are in the free throw contest. I can’t shoot a free throw and here we’re in front of all these fans and, of course, I missed,” said Egan.

But Parsons said Egan could have Kookesh’s points “and Kookesh could have mine, so I won,” Egan said, laughing.

Parsons was nonpartisan, Egan said, and got along with all the assembly members.

“I don’t care who you were; he’d sit down and talk to you. A lot of that is missed right now. I didn’t know if he was Republican or Democrat. We never talked politics. We talked about Juneau and making Juneau better,” Egan said.

Paulette Simpson was another close friend and worked on Parson’s mayoral campaign in 1991.

“Jamie excelled at friendships and he understood that, especially in politics, friendship was foundational if you were going to be successful,” Simpson said.

If there was a legislator who spoke against Juneau being the capital city, “Jamie’s reaction to that was to go make friends with the person and invite them to dinner,” Simpson said. “And he and Mary Beth were absolutely the most gracious, hospitable leaders we’ve probably ever had and I think that went really far with people. Because he excelled at friendship, he put that to work for the capital city.”

After one term as mayor, instead of running for re-election, Parsons put his energy toward fighting a 1994 ballot initiative to move the capital to Wasilla.

Parsons traveled throughout Southeast to encourage voter turnout and traveled north as well. Longtime legislative aide Christopher Clark was working in Anchorage as a field coordinator in the campaign against the measure. He said Parsons was key to defeating it.

“He helped organize it. He’d go out door-to-door. He’d give speeches. He’d talk to editorial board meetings. He’d go to newspaper interviews. And it all worked. Jamie was with me in Anchorage on the night of the election returns and we were jubilant. We once again had dodged a bullet and managed to keep the capital here in Juneau and Jamie deserves a lot of the credit for that,” Clark said.

Like Parsons, close friend Win Gruening also served as Chair of the Alaska Committee. He said Parsons helped Juneau become an even better capital city by making it more accessible. It was his idea to do C-SPAN coverage of the Alaska Legislature – what’s now known as Gavel Alaska.

“He bridged a lot of gaps. There’s a lot of polarization in politics today. He never paid attention to that. He listened to people and he always tried to figure out a way to get people to some sort of an agreement so that they could move forward on things,” Gruening said.

Parsons also owned the Juneau Racquet Club with John McConnochie for about 20 years. McConnochie now co-owns Cycle Alaska with his wife. He called Parsons a mentor who taught him the concept of “paying your civic rent.”

“Where businesspeople in town have an obligation to give back to the community that’s being supportive of them, and he certainly exemplified that throughout his whole life,” McConnochie said.

McConnochie and Parsons were also very close friends. While traveling in New Zealand, McConnochie spoke with him days before he died.

“What was amazing about that is Jamie was so positive and had great energy. Even though he was on some pain medication, that spark was still there,” McConnochie said.

Parsons also once served as CEO of the Juneau Chamber of Commerce. In a letter to chamber members about Parson’s death, executive director Craig Dahl called him an “inspiration” and wrote, “Juneau has never had a more committed advocate.”

Every year during the holiday, a few people in Juneau don the red suit. There’s been a decades-long tradition of Santas at Nugget Mall and other places in the community.

Rick Helms got his start playing Santa about 30 years ago when a friend asked if he would dress up for his family.

“I says, ‘Not in this lifetime,'” Helms said. “We were having beers, Monday Night Football. He says, ‘My nieces know me. I need a friend to fill in for me.’ So I says, OK.”

Helms has a short white beard. He just so happens to be wearing a shirt with deer on it. And he has a kind, twinkle in his eye that reminds you of Santa Claus. Imagine recognizing an old high school acquaintance and doing a double take. Helms is like that, except he’s playing a childhood icon.

But he said he was nervous about becoming Santa for the first time.

“Getting around new people I get tongue tied and sweaty palms, like today, right now,” he said.

When he puts on the red suit and fake beard though, he says some of those fears melt away.

“Kind of like Halloween. ‘Cause, you know, you dress up in costumes. … And now it’s old hat. I just get my game face on, and I just love it,” he said.

Helms is in high demand this time of year. There are typically three Santas that rotate at Nugget Mall but one just had back surgery. So lately, Helms has been listening to a lot of children’s wish lists. He says Legos and Star Wars toys have been popular requests. But sometimes kids ask for gadgets he hasn’t heard of.

He has a planned response: “I let Mrs. Claus take care of that.”

Then there are things children ask for that Santa Helms can’t promise.

“Bring mommy, daddy back from Afghanistan or Kuwait. Stuff like that. Santa sometimes just has to have a break after that, you know?” Helms said.

Juneau’s chapter of Epsilon Sigma Alpha puts on the photo session with Santa at the mall. The earnings go to nonprofits, like St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital and the Salvation Army.

Sharon Lowe is one of the organizers. And in the past, she’s put on the red suit to help out.

“I wear the whole getup, beard and everything! I try to lower my voice several octaves,” she said.

She also plays the Easter Bunny in the spring. The time she had to dress up as Santa, the other Santa had gotten his calendar mixed up. She said among the crowd of kids, one sticks out: A special needs girl who only wanted to sit in her lap.

“And she just cuddled and cuddled and that year we were giving away books about the Night Before Christmas and she got off my lap, and I handed her a book. And she looked at it and she looked at me and pointed at the Santa on the book and said, ‘That’s you,'” Lowe said. “You know their reaction to you as the Easter Bunny or you as the Santa Claus, it’s just precious. … They believe and they want to believe so badly.”

Both Lowe and Helms said playing Santa is more difficult than strapping on a fake beard and calling it good. It takes patience, empathy and the ability to really listen. That’s what being Santa is all about.

Helms said what began as something he was reluctant to do has turned into an annual event he’ll be doing his whole life.

“Until I’m looking down at, or up at, the dirt. Cause I don’t plan on giving it up,” Helms said.

He even invested in his own Santa suit, which cost about $500. He donates his $15 an hour earnings playing Santa to organizations like the Wounded Warrior Project and The Salvation Army.

He’s committed to the wardrobe and spirit of St. Nick, but he’s in no rush to grow out his white beard just yet.

“Halibut slime and jellyfish doesn’t mix with beards,” he said.

That’s right. Santa Helms works as a commercial fisherman in the off-season.

Juneau resident Jeff Campbell bought two truckloads of Christmas lights and decorations at a garage sale more than 20 years ago. Ever since then, he’s been decorating his house in a big way, making his downtown neighborhood a more festive and bright place. People joke that you can see his house from space.

On a drizzly Monday night, 8-year-old Ferguson Wheeler counts the number of Santa Clauses at Jeff Campbell’s house in a neighborhood near the Federal Building known as The Flats.

“I add Santas every year,” Campbell said. “That’s always new. The kids come and count the Santas.”

“How many Santas?” I asked.

“I can’t tell you. The kids got to count them.”

Besides Santas, the busy holiday display includes reindeer, candy canes, nativity scenes, nutcrackers, drummer boys, Disney and Winnie the Pooh characters, and thousands of lights. There’s not much room to walk around the yard. Campbell has even wired some outdoor speakers to play Christmas music.

He creates his own decorations as well.

“Snoopy on his house, because of the new Peanuts movie. Whatever the newest kid movie out – the Christmas movie – I try to do a character from that,” Campbell said.

More than 600 lights on a plywood board in the shape of Snoopy radiate heat and good cheer.

Campbell has been covering his house and yard with lights and decorations since the early 90s and each year the display grows.

“Ninety-eight percent of it is from garage sales, unless I get something on a blow-out sale at a store,” Campbell said.

He starts setting up for Christmas right after he takes the Halloween lights and decorations down. He tends to put things in the same spot every year for simplicity’s sake.

“Some of these guys are marked where they go, so I don’t have to think about it and it gets out a lot faster,” Campbell explained.

He points to a written message on the back of a Santa: Under the ash tree.

“So I know where he goes.”

Campbell debuted the lights Dec. 4 by flipping eight switches. The lights turn on daily after work, and off around 9 p.m. or 10 p.m. He’ll turn them off for good in early January.

His electricity bill has been doing better since LED lights became part of his collection.

“It used to triple from what we normally had. Now, it’s doing better. It’s a little over double,” Campbell said.

The cost of holiday joy, though, is priceless. Campbell’s house is known around town.

Cars constantly slowdown and children walk into his yard to pose for photos — something Campbell has no problem with.

“A neighbor, one time, did hijack a Santa and he took pictures around town with him — up on the tram and the glacier and had pictures of them sent to us,” Campbell said.

Campbell occasionally receives donated decorations, as well. There’s Goofy next to some bushes on the edge of the property, but he needs a better spot.

“He was put here. Someone left him. Either I’ll move him out further or I’ll find a place in the yard for him. I got one already so I have to keep them separated. I don’t want fighting,” Campbell said, laughing.

If you haven’t yet stopped by Jeff Campbell’s house on West 11th Street in The Flats, make sure you do, and don’t forget to count the Santas.

Five local Native dance groups organized a fundraiser Monday night, raising about $32,000 for Juneau’s shelter and soup kitchen. About 400 people attended and contributed money to the Glory Hole through donations, silent auction, fry bread sales, dancing, raffle and a $9,500 matching donation by the Rasmuson Foundation.

Nancy Barnes is head of the Yees Ku.oo dance group. She helped organize the fundraiser with Kolene James, who was inspired by a Juneau Empire story on the Glory Hole’s financial deficit. Barnes was blown away by how much the event raised in two hours.

“I don’t think anybody thought we were going to make that much money. Somebody said, ‘What’s your goal?’ And I was saying, ‘If we raised $5,000 just to help them have a wonderful Christmas that will be great,'” Barnes said.

The other dance groups at the fundraiser were Ldakát Naax Satí Yátx’í (All Nations Children), Eagle/Raven Dancers, Yaaw Tei Yi and Woosh.ji.een.

The Central Council of the Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska donated planning space and the Elizabeth Peratrovich Hall for the event. President Richard Peterson said the Central Council was happy to help.

“Our culture is about holding each other up and the Glory Hole is an entity that’s always holding our people up, so it’s time when they’re hurting to give back and help them out,” Peterson said.

Glory Hole Executive Director Mariya Lovishchuk said the funds raised Monday night, plus other donations, will close the $58,000 deficit the shelter was in when the story ran in the newspaper earlier this month.

Lovishchuk said the deficit was largely due to a burst pipe that flooded and closed down the shelter last December. The inside of the building had to be rebuilt. The shelter has also been focusing more on getting the Housing First project built than on fundraising.

Lovishchuk said she can’t say thank you enough to the dance groups, community organizations and people who contributed to Monday’s fundraiser.

“This is beyond gratitude. This was a really amazing thing and it really ensures that we’re going to be able to meet our mission of providing everyone in need of food, shelter and compassion. It also means that we’ll keep on working on the Juneau Housing First project and making it a reality,” Lovishchuk said.

She said it’s an honor to be supported by the Alaska Native community and to start the New Year on a positive note.

The Juneau Assembly gathered Monday to discuss a strategic action plan for the upcoming year. The late mayor hoped this retreat would spark conversation and help refine the city’s goals.

Samantha Dye of Dynamic Consulting helped the assembly brainstorm a list of Juneau’s opportunities. Things like the natural environment, recreation, and short commutes. She asked the assembly to list obstacles. And then the opportunities for Juneau within those obstacles.

“The shift there is that often we start with the problems and work our way in the other direction where he wanted to start with why are why doing this?” Dye said. “What’s our reason and then work backward.”

The assembly noted that a seasonal workforce is problematic for the local economy, but that could mean more young people are coming to Juneau. Child care is scarce.

“But that brings in an opportunity to better support young families, so that both parents can work. How to have new businesses that could be creative,” Dye said.

Dye said the exercise is “potential-based.”

Mary Becker, Juneau’s interim mayor, said the retreat was more “open-ended” than the previous year, which led to some frustration at the beginning.

“We have to push past the wall of what are we doing, why are we redoing this? Haven’t we done this before? And look at it in a different way,” Becker said.

Becker said this method helps the assembly reevaluate issues that might be familiar. The six-hour retreat cost the city $2,600. Dynamic Consulting plans to issue a report within a week. 

Legislators, police officers and behavioral health specialists will gather this weekend in Juneau for a townhall discussion on heroin. They’ll be focused on finding local solutions to help people suffering with addiction.

Michele Morgan started Stop Heroin, Start Talking as a grassroots initiative — a homespun way to get the word out about what she saw happening in her community. After throwing events and printing our flyers on her own dime, Morgan is now the one getting help.

Her organization recently partnered with the Juneau branch of the National Coalition on Alcohol and Drug Dependence.

“We realized that what Juneau Stop Heroin was doing is exactly what NCADD wanted to start doing more of,” Morgan said.

NCADD provides advocacy, education, and some clinical services. Being under the umbrella of the nonprofit means donations to Stop Heroin, Start Talking will be tax deductible. It also connects the organization to a slew of other agencies that NCADD has developed partnerships with, such as the California-based Harm Reduction Coalition.

Katie Chapman, executive director of the Juneau’s NCADD, said her organization saw the work Morgan was doing and thought it would be a good fit.

“It’s amazing. It’s really inspiring to see that. I think a lot of change happens from individuals, community members that have the passion,” Chapman said.

For Sunday’s community meeting, Morgan invited Juneau representatives Sam Kito and Cathy Muñoz to weigh in on the Good Samaritan law and Senate Bill 23.

“All I did was email these people and they responded and said, ‘yes I will do this.’ That is a testament to how forward thinking Juneau is getting to be. It’s great,” Morgan said.

The Good Samaritan law passed last year. It protects people who report an overdose from criminal prosecution. SB 23 could prevent deaths by holding harmless those who administer a drug called Naloxone in an attempt to save someone who has overdosed

Another topic at the meeting will be the lack of treatment options for people who want to get clean. There’s practically nowhere to clinically detox in Juneau.

“I hope it’s not adversarial, but it is something that sticks in your head. We can arrest someone for using drugs and put them in jail immediately. But if we want to put them in treatment, which I think is fiscally and for our future more responsible, we don’t have beds.”

City Manager Kim Kiefer has been looking into a program in Gloucester, Massachusetts that helps people get into treatment. She learned that it costs about $50 to connect someone with services and about $230 to incarcerate them.

Like Juneau, Gloucester is a small town of about 30,000. The town is about an hour outside of Boston, and people suffering with an addiction there can go to a police department and ask for help. Then they can get into a detox program and long-term treatment.

“In the six months they’ve been doing this, they’ve had over 300 people that say, ‘I want to get clean,’” Kiefer said.

Kiefer says she doesn’t know much about heroin addiction, but she’s trying to learn more. That means reaching out to people in and outside of Juneau to find what’s working.

More than $800,000 of the city’s social service funds are funneled through the Juneau Community Foundation. The Hope Foundation is pitching in $1 million for grants to look into these issues.

For Morgan — the woman who started the Stop Heroin, Start Talking program — the biggest hurdle has been changing attitudes about addiction, including her own. Three years ago, her sister died of a heroin overdose. She wrote in the obituary she died of cancer.

“My sister would have died this year, I would have said the truth. I would have said my sister Eva died after a long battle of addiction and I would feel fine. But three years ago we were ashamed. We didn’t want anyone to know or smudge her reputation,” Morgan said. “But now people are looking at it as it is a health crisis and in that sense, that’s the big change.”

The Community of Compassion will hold an open dialogue about addiction Saturday at 4 p.m. at the @360 studio. The Stop Heroin, Start Talking panel begins at 2 p.m. Sunday at the Mendenhall Valley Public Library.