Juneau Independent

It is hard in this disruptive time to dig deeply into any issue, because there is so much out there. But before we get mad and then skip on to the next juicy item in our news feed, let’s take a deep breath.

As a property owner you have already made an investment in Juneau. Vote no on ballot measures 1 and 2 to continue making Juneau a livable community and not limit the value of your investment.

Federal grants totaling over $650,000 to two Southeast Alaska tribal groups and the state to gather more science on transboundary rivers may seem like a proverbial drop in the bucket compared to the water flows of the Stikine, Taku, Unuk and Salmon rivers.

In a recent opinion piece, John Pugh argued that Ballot Measure 1 — which would cap the property tax millage rate at nine mills — represents a “significant decrease” and would limit the Assembly’s ability to respond to emergencies like glacier flooding.

Putting a cap on property taxes sounds appealing at first blush, but I like the services I get from the approximately 37% of my tax payment left after the other 63% goes to fund education (about 52%) and debt service (about 11%).

Southeast Alaska communities are different from most of America. We're not connected by roads. If we want to move vehicles in or out of town, we rely on barges and ferries. That's why Alaska Marine Lines' (AML) recent decision to stop shipping electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles is so troubling: it cuts us off from affordable, reliable transportation that fits our communities perfectly.

I am writing to share why I wrote to Sen. Dan Sullivan and Rep. Nick Begich to tell them I would not be writing to them again. Not that they would care.

Before voting on Ballot Measure, I ask your to please consider what the City and Borough of Juneau accomplishes with your taxes. Do you really want to jeopardize the quality of life that we now enjoy? 

I'm encouraging my friends and neighbors to vote no on Propositions 1 and 2, and yes on Proposition 3.

Forget the notion of one person, one vote. Election map makers have a new slogan: One person, one favored voter, the others don’t count.

While some Alaskans are disappointed that Sen. Lisa Murkowski voted for the Big Ugly Bill, she is an outspoken critic of President Donald Trump and one of very few moderate Republicans left in the Senate. Her departure from Washington would be devastating for the entire USA.

As a regular observer of Assembly meetings, I’ve heard residents complain about vote-by-mail, but until the introduction of this ordinance, I was not aware of anyone begging the Assembly to adopt Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) for our municipal elections.