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Nine Juneau Democrats have applied to fill Rep. Beth Kerttula’s House District 32 seat.

Tongass Democrats’ on Tuesday morning released the names.  Bruce Botelho chairs the selection committee.

We have reached to all parts of the current district to solicit names and encourage people to apply.  And indeed our selection committee has a representative from Petersburg.

Kerttula resigned last week to accept a position at Stanford University. The person selected would finish out her term.

A questionnaire has gone out to all nine candidates and they will be interviewed over the weekend. Botelho says the questions cover topics important to Alaska and the district, including economic development.

“Education, of course, is going to be a major theme of this session, but it’s always been a concern to the electorate and to us,” Botelho says. “We’re looking at issues of labor relations, health care, discussions about our fiscal future as a state.  So topics generally that we hope will help get a better sense of the candidates and how they would approach the issues.” 

Botelho says the goal is to get a list of three to Gov. Sean Parnell by Tuesday.

About the candidates:

Over the past nine years, Ken Alper has worked for House Democrats, including Kerttula.  He and his wife Jill Ramiel, own Silverbow Inn and Bakery in downtown Juneau.

Nancy Barnes worked in the Alaska House and Senate for 26 years, before she took her current job as executive assistant to the president and CEO of Huna Totem Corporation. She’s on the boards of the Alaska Federation of Natives and Sealaska Heritage Institute.

James Betts owns Betts Boat Repair in Juneau. He’s state leader for the Knights of Columbus, a Catholic fraternal and charitable organization. Betts has lived in Juneau for 27 years.

Sara Hannan is a lifelong Alaskan and has lived in Juneau for 25 years.  For the past 18 years, she’s taught in the Juneau School District.  She currently teaches at Juneau Douglas High School, and has been a negotiator for the Juneau Education Association.

Sam Kito III is a civil engineer and also has been a legislative lobbyist.  He was born in Anchorage, lived in Fairbanks, and has worked on transportation projects throughout the state.  He’s been in Juneau for 18 years.

Tim Lamkin has worked as a legislative aide for 17 years, currently for Kodiak Sen. Gary Stevens.  Lamkin is aide to the Senate Education Committee.  During the tourist season, Lamkin says he talks a lot about Alaska’s mining history.

Jesse Kiehl is serving his first term on the Juneau Assembly.  He also works for Juneau Sen. Dennis Egan, and before that for former Juneau Sen. Kim Elton. Kiehl was born in Anchorage and has lived in Juneau for the last 15 years.

Kim Metcalfe is a business agent for the Alaska State Employees Association.  She’s also a lifelong Juneau resident.  Metcalfe chaired Juneau Democrats for a decade, when Kerttula’s district covered only Juneau. She has been a delegate twice to the National Democratic Convention.

Catherine Reardon is a legislative aide for Anchorage Rep. Andrew Josephson. Before working in the legislature, she was director of the Commerce Department’s Division of Occupational Licensing, (now Corporations, Business, and Professional Licensing).  Reardon has been vice chair of the Alaska Democratic Party.

Sunday concluded Eaglecrest’s 33rd Annual Learn to Ski Weekend. Annie Bartholomew went to Eaglecrest to meet  3rd and 4th graders who got the chance to try skiing for the first time. Every year Eaglecrest  has 45 spots available for first-time skiers in the 3rd and 4th grades chosen by lottery. The program is sponsored by Mendenhall Auto Subaru, and provides free lunch, transportation, ski rental and lift passes to students who may otherwise not have an opportunity to ski.

Juneau’s teachers’ union and school district officials say they’re optimistic both sides will accept the tentative agreement reached Wednesday night.

Final details will not be forthcoming until early next week, when the proposal goes to teachers, according to Sara Hannan, spokesperson for the Juneau Education Association negotiating team.

“In that final round, we were going back and forth with counter proposals verbally and agreed that night that until we have it all in writing, we wouldn’t release it,” Hannan says. “But we have to release it and our bylaws require we release it to our members in writing for a full week before they can vote on it.”

Alaska statutes require that initial proposals, last best offers, tentative agreements before ratification as well as final agreements are public documents and can be released to the public.

Hannan says the two-year tentative agreement improves teacher salaries and benefits.

“Our team believes that our teachers will see small improvements in language, monetary benefits including wages and health benefits, and personal leave,” she says.

On Tuesday, Superintendent Glen Gelbrich told the district budget committee that negotiators were weighing an offer that would increase the budget about $1.3 million.

“That included the offer that was on the table at the time with our teachers association and the implications that that offer would have for our other employee groups as well,” Gelbrich says. “And all I can say is that  just in terms of the amount there will be a modest change to that number, based upon the (latest) agreement.”  

It’s expected the tentative agreement will go to teachers early next week, with a vote scheduled seven days later.  Then the school board will vote.

The last year of bargaining has been marked by impasse, failed mediation, and arbitration.  Teachers have been working without a contract since June, when the previous one expired.

The arbitrator’s advisory report is expected early next month.  Maybe it won’t be needed. Both Hannan and Gelbrich are confident both sides will approve the proposal.

NOTE:  This story updated Friday afternoon with new information.

Tongass Democrats are now taking applications to replace Juneau Rep. Beth Kerttula, who has resigned.

Kerttula represents House District 32, which includes Juneau, Petersburg, Skagway, Gustavus and Tenakee Springs. The 15-year legislator is taking a position at the Center for Ocean Solutions at Stanford University. Her last day is Friday.

Potential candidates must be registered Democrats and live in the district.

Nancy Courtney is chairman Tongass Democrats. She says letters of intent and resumes should be emailed to tongassdemocrats@gmail.com.

The deadline to apply is Jan. 27. Then a committee will go through the resumes, pare down the list and send a questionnaire to those who make the first round.

“We will go through that process and applicants get to respond. Then we’ll pair that down some more and we’ll go through the interview process,” Courtney says.

The party plans to send a list of three nominees to Gov. Sean Parnell no later than Feb.  4^th.

Kim Metcalfe was chairman of Juneau Democrats when former Juneau Sen. Kim Elton resigned his seat during the 2009 session. She says the party received lots of applications.  Metcalfe plans to apply for the nomination to Kerttula’s seat.

Metcalfe was born and raised in Juneau.  She’s never run for office but has been involved in politics most of her adult life.

“My dad served in the territorial legislature in 1951 and ’55, and even as kids we were running around town putting posters up, so I think it’s in my blood.  I’d like to serve the people of Juneau, very concerned about the issues.  I think it’s an important time in legislative history, Alaska history, so I’d like to be part of it,” Metcalfe says.

Metcalfe is a business agent for the Alaska State Employees Association and has worked in state government.  For 15 years she ran the Legislative Reporting Service, which tracked bills as they moved through the House and Senate.

Legislative aide Jesse Kiehl has also said he’ll apply for the party nomination. He works for Juneau Sen.  Dennis Egan and before that worked for Elton.

Kiehl was elected to the non-partisan Juneau Assembly in 2011.  If he was appointed, he would have to resign his seat.

“I still enjoy my Assembly service; it’s a great group of people to work with,” Kiehl says. “And there’s a tinge of regret in maybe moving away from a non-partisan environment to the legislature, which is sometimes played as team sports. But hopefully I can bring some of that approach and make a little difference here and there to do a little good.”

Gov. Parnell has 30 days to make an appointment once the seat is vacated. That would be Feb. 23.  Courtney says his selection must be confirmed by House Democrats.

Nearly 150 people gathered at Monday’s community celebration of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day held at St. Paul’s Catholic Church.

One of the event’s speakers, Alaska Native Sisterhood Grand President Freda Westman, said the fight for racial equality isn’t over:

“Racial equality is always worth fighting for. I am moved because this is something that we are still fighting for today.”

Westman says Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. taught non-violence, “Our greatest weapon is something that we must examine and burnish and that is our hearts and our conscience and our seeking justice.”

During her speech, Juneau high school student Nathel Sims said she is able to attend schools with integrated classrooms and get a good education because of Martin Luther King, Jr.:

“Because he stood up and fought for the rights of people of color, I have been able to go to schools with many other nationalities – Mexican, Italian, German, anything, you name it. We are able to attend school together.”

Sims is the recipient of a scholarship from the Black Awareness Association of Juneau, which sponsored the Martin Luther King, Jr. event.

President Sherry Patterson saids Sims and the other speakers sent home a strong message:

“We are one people, we’re a rainbow of color in this community and when we come together with events like this, it empowers us to do better.”

Immediately following Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, the organization starts preparing for Black History month events, which take place in February. Black Awareness Association of Juneau was started in 1994 and is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year.

While ski areas down south are struggling with not having enough snow cover this winter, Juneau’s Eaglecrest Ski Area has plenty. As of Friday, there was about 38-inches at the base and 148-inches at the top of the Ptarmigan Chair. Eaglecrest’s Barbara Lindh said on KTOO’s Morning Edition on Friday that they are currently number one in the nation for deepest snow so far this season.

Lindh said expect spring snow conditions this weekend with temperatures expected to remain in the thirties.

The latest nationwide snow report from OnTheSnow.com shows Eaglecrest way ahead of #2 Mt. Bachelor in Oregon.