CBJ Assembly Meetings

A subcommittee of three Juneau Assembly members is leading the search for the next city manager. Mayor Merrill Sanford appointed Mary Becker, Karen Crane and Jerry Nankervis to whittle down the candidate pool to about 10 applicants.

“This is the most important thing that we do right here, hiring the city manager,” said Mayor Sanford. “And you are all invited to be a part of this subcommittee at any of their meetings.”

The mayor said subcommittee meetings would be public unless personnel issues were discussed.

“There’s no reason this hiring process isn’t 98 percent transparent and in the open,” he said.

It hasn’t been decided whether outside HR headhunters should be brought in to help. The assembly remarked on the success of Juneau staff facilitating a previous city attorney search.

Geographic preference is also up in the air. Assembly member Karen Crane said she’d like to look broadly.

“At least statewide but not discount anybody Outside that sees the application and applies,” she said. “That doesn’t mean we don’t end up hiring locally if someone is there but what it does mean is it shortens the process.”

Some assembly members said they’d like to see a candidate selected before the holiday season is in full swing.

Current City Manager Kim Kiefer is retiring at the end of the year.

The Juneau Assembly wants to draft ordinances creating new property tax breaks that incentivize denser development and redevelopment of blighted properties.

The assembly discussed it Monday in committee and also wants input from the Downtown Business Association and city staff.

Assemblymember Karen Crane asked if the redevelopment ordinance would do enough. It would allow for property tax exemptions or deferments for major building overhauls and demolition.

“When I first read this, I don’t see the incentives there for the development of housing,” she said. “I’d like to have some more discussion along that line, too. It’s one of the conclusions everyone has come to that has studied what we need downtown.”

City Finance Director Bob Bartholomew said it comes down to what level of public investment Juneau wants to make.

“It’s in addition and outside the scope of this. This could help in one little piece. But there’s a lot of other things out there,” he said.

A second ordinance would allow for property tax breaks after subdividing land for five years.

But some assembly members questioned the length of time–wondering if they could be giving tax exemptions for developers not motivated to sell. Assemblymember Debbie White said that’s often not the case.

“It’s really not as much time as you think and by the time you get the subdivision recorded and you start advertising and marketing these properties and then you design homes and then you have to take plans to permits center, five years is not that long,” she said.

White, a real estate broker, called the Montana Creek West subdivision successful and said it took about six years to develop.

The ordinances were prompted by a bill Juneau Rep. Cathy Munoz sponsored. The legislature passed it during the last legislative session.

The filing deadline to run for Juneau Assembly and Juneau School Board closed Monday  with 11 candidates vying for six seats.

Juneau’s candidates for local office tend to file at the last minute, and that was true of this cycle, too.

In 72 hours, the capital city went from having just one contested race and zero candidates for a pair of Juneau School Board seats, to having just a single uncontested race.

Juneau Assemblyman Loren Jones is unopposed seeking his second term, barring write-in challengers, who have until Oct. 1 to file their paperwork.

Fisheries consultant Greg Fisk is challenging incumbent Juneau Mayor Merrill Sanford. Fisk says he’s concerned about the economy like everyone else. He wants to diversify it and says a lack of affordable housing inhibits a lot of potential. He supports mixed-use and transit-friendly development.

“I think the mayorship is a chance to heighten awareness of certain items. I mean, it’s a bit of a bully pulpit as they say. You get asked a lot, you get a chance to speak on the city’s behalf, and I think there’s a lot we can do,” Fisk says.

In Juneau’s council-manager form of government, the mayor doesn’t directly manage municipal employees and is largely ceremonial. The mayor presides over the Juneau Assembly with the same voting power as the other eight members, and that body collectively sets policy and directs the city manager.

The other Assembly seat in the October election remains a three-way race between incumbent Jerry Nankervis and challengers Jason Puckett and Dixie Hood.

Juneau School Board

On the Juneau School Board, two longtime incumbents who were on the fence about seeking another term did not file. Board President Phyllis Carlson and member Destiny Sargeant will not be on the October ballot.

A third longtime incumbent, Andi Story, will compete in a five-way race for three seats with Jeff Redmond, Josh Keaton, Emil “Robert” Mackey and Jason Hart.

All four of the new candidates filed their paperwork on the last eligible day.

Election day is Oct. 6.

Monday is the filing deadline for municipal election candidates to run in Juneau and no one has confirmed they’re running for two seats on the Juneau School Board.

If no one’s elected, the Juneau School Board will choose their new colleagues.

The seven-member board governs a district with an $85 million budget, about 4,700 students and nearly 700 employees at more a dozen schools.

As of Friday, school board incumbent Phyllis Carlson says she’s still undecided about running again. Incumbent Destiny Sargeant could not be reached for comment, though she’s previously said she’s undecided.

Andi Story is an uncontested incumbent in a third seat.

Juneau Assembly

On the Juneau Assembly, the District 2 seat held by Jerry Nankervis is now a three-way race. Nankervis is being challenged by Dixie Hood, a marital and family therapist and active volunteer, and Jason Puckett, a GCI store manager, marshmallow entrepreneur and Marine Corps veteran.

Mayor Merrill Sanford and District 1 Assemblyman Loren Jones remain uncontested.

Candidates must collect at least 25 qualified voters’ signatures. They also must file a letter of intent, a financial disclosure and campaign finance paperwork with the Alaska Public Offices Commission.

Write-in candidates have until Oct. 1 to file their paperwork.

Update | 7:43 p.m. Aug. 14

City Manager Kim Kiefer says she’s retiring for personal reasons. She added that it has nothing to do with her evaluation.

Original post | 10:22 p.m. Aug 13

Juneau City Manager Kim Kiefer is retiring at the end of the year.

Kiefer emailed city employees with the news Thursday. She offered glowing praise for city employees, but didn’t say why she’s retiring. Kiefer could not be reached for comment by deadline.

Just Monday, the Juneau Assembly adopted a performance evaluation of her. Assemblyman Jerry Nankervis made the only objection, but didn’t speak to it because it was a personnel matter. She received a 3 percent raise.

Kiefer was born in Minnesota and moved to Juneau in 1971 as a child. She’s worked for the city in various capacities for 32 years, including running the Zach Gordon Youth Center, managing Juneau Parks and Recreation, and serving as deputy to the last city manager. Kiefer’s been in the city government’s top spot since 2012.

The assembly has yet to address the replacement process. The city manager oversees roughly 700 city employees and a budget of $85 million.