A vision for Juneau’s future: Build the economy, strengthen connectivity and listen to voters

Angela Rodell, a former CEO of the Alaska Permanent Fund Corp. and commissioner of the Alaska Department of Revenue, served as treasurer of the Affordable Juneau Coalition during Juneau’s recent municipal election. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Independent)

By Angela Rodell

The City and Borough of Juneau Assembly held its annual retreat this weekend to set direction for FY27. I wish I could have attended, but I was out of town and the meeting wasn’t broadcast. Instead, my understanding comes from detailed notes from people who were there.

Even with that limited view, one conclusion is clear: the Assembly has not yet absorbed the message voters delivered in October. Residents asked for disciplined spending, clearer priorities, and a government focused on core responsibilities. Yet the retreat discussions reveal a body still searching for revenue before articulating a vision.

If leaders want a clearer sense of public sentiment, they don’t need another survey. They could talk with the cashiers at Costco, Fred Meyer, or Safeway who hear daily concerns about high costs and the sense that government doesn’t seem to have gotten the message.

The retreat notes reflected this disconnect. Staff briefed the Assembly on cost allocation, fund balances, and statutory limits, but the dominant theme in members’ comments was finding more money: higher hotel taxes, more marine passenger fee revenue, capturing dockside activity, eliminating foregone revenue. The impulse was clear — look for dollars first, ask about vision later.

What was largely missing was the foundation of fiscal health: economic growth. Juneau’s challenge is not insufficient taxing capacity. Juneau’s challenge is economic inertia — and no tax increase can fix that. Growth starts with vision, continues with infrastructure, and succeeds when a community builds the networks that allow people, goods, and opportunity to move.

Recent transportation discussions show how narrowly we often frame these issues. At DOT’s recent open house, many residents expressed skepticism toward a Cascade Point terminal, firm opposition to a northern road, and a strong preference for investing solely in ferries. After years of unreliable service, the frustration is understandable. But wanting better ferries does not change a fundamental reality: without a stronger, more diversified economy, no transportation system in Southeast Alaska can be financially sustainable — not ferries, not roads, not ports, not even airports.

Around the world, resilient regions share one trait: connectivity. Multiple, reliable, affordable ways to move people and goods. If Juneau wants an economy that is more than government and tourism — if we want mining, fisheries, research, and year-round private-sector jobs — we must build the access that makes those industries viable. A diversified economy cannot exist without diversified connections.

We’re beginning to see what that future could look like. Aak’w Landing will modernize the waterfront and improve congestion downtown. The homeporting of the U.S. Coast Guard icebreaker Storis will bring steady activity and new workforce needs. Both depend on reliable ways for crews and suppliers to move. Housing — one of Juneau’s most urgent needs — is also inseparable from access. A Douglas bench road or second crossing would open new areas for development, relieve pressure on existing neighborhoods, and help retain families who otherwise leave because they cannot find housing.

These aren’t extravagant ideas; they’re the basic ingredients of a stable, affordable, year-round economy.

Cascade Point is an example where these principles come together in real time. It shows how the right infrastructure investment can strengthen multiple parts of the economy at once. By shortening certain ferry routes, Cascade Point makes predictable, commuter-style schedules possible — schedules that attract and retain ferry employees who want to return home daily. It offers a safer, more reliable transportation option for mine workers during poor weather. And by lowering operating costs and improving reliability, it helps the ferry system itself become more sustainable.

Better infrastructure directly strengthens the workforce, supports major employers, and expands the economic base Juneau relies on.

The Assembly’s fiscal discussion acknowledged declining revenues and large annual lapses, but balancing spreadsheets alone won’t build Juneau’s future. A stronger economy — and the broader tax base that comes with it — will.

The real choice is not ferries versus roads or taxes versus cuts. It is between an economy that shrinks as Juneau ages and young people leave and one capable of sustaining the services residents value. Saying no to infrastructure does not preserve the status quo; it accelerates decline. Saying yes creates opportunity.

A vision for Juneau begins with listening — really listening — and then building the economy that makes everything else possible.

• Angela Rodell is a former CEO of the Alaska Permanent Fund Corp. and commissioner of the Alaska Department of Revenue who is currently a business consultant and member of Juneau International Airport’s board of directors. Her column appears the second Tuesday of every month.