Nano Brooks sworn in as new Assembly member at meeting with lots of shakeup — from others
- Mark Sabbatini
- Oct 28
- 4 min read
Residents submit petition with 847 names in unsuccessful attempt to stop Telephone Hill evictions on Nov. 1; mayor says redevelopment plans for area will be presented Nov. 3
By Mark Sabbatini
Juneau Independent
Some notable challenging of the status quo did indeed occur as Nano Brooks was sworn in as a new member of the Juneau Assembly on Monday night, but mostly from audience members in ways expected and unexpected.
One person accused of violently threatening city leaders was escorted out by police in a confrontation that played out directly in front of Brooks’ new seat before the meeting, delaying its start by an hour. Brooks was then officially sworn in by Municipal Attorney Emily Wright for a three-year term, along with Deputy Mayor Greg Smith and second-term member Ella Adkison, both of whom were unopposed in their reelection campaigns.
"For the most part it's pretty in line with what I was expecting," Brooks said after the meeting when asked how the experience compared to his expectations after he was certified as the election winner Oct. 21. "I guess the only thing different I thought was just the dynamic aspects of how the city staff helps you work on things. I wasn't 100% in tune with that, but it's the very first meeting I had, and it was very inviting and welcoming, and that gave me a lot of reassurance."
A few minutes after Brooks was sworn in the most contentious part of the official meeting took place — but it was fully expected by those present. A total of 16 people signed up for the open testimony portion so they could express their opposition to the Assembly’s approval of a redevelopment plan for Telephone Hill that includes evicting residents of the 13 occupied homes there by Nov. 1. Similar objections have been voiced at several recent meetings as the long-discussed project nears implementation.
Some people opposing the redevelopment have said Brooks’ election win over two-term incumbent Wade Bryson — a supporter of the project — means the Assembly should rescind its approval of the evictions and redevelopment. Among the messages and congratulations shared by Brooks’ supporters after the Oct. 7 municipal election was the hope he would "shake up" the status quo.
Two testifiers at Monday’s meeting presented a petition they said was signed by 847 people calling for a halt to the project "until the Assembly has a credible plan for the Hill's future." Another person opposing the project, Bruce Simonson, told Assembly members "I think there's a plan that satisfies six different stakeholders/groups — the Assembly, the state, the local population, the mining folks, the tourism industry and there’s another one here too."
That prompted Brooks to raise his hand to ask his first question as a newly sworn Assembly member — with applause coming from the audience as he did so.
"What is the plan or option that you said would satisfy the multiple bodies as an alternative?" Brooks asked Simonson.
"We should develop it as an area, as a historic district," Simonson replied. "The tourism industry would like it. The mining district would like it because that's the history of that hill. Governments like you should like it because it’s a good solution…this is not the right time to discuss all of that. But there are many ideas. I'm not the only one with them. I encourage you to open a dialog saying, ‘What can we do with this remarkable asset that we have called Telephone Hill,’ but solve the problem of housing somewhere else."
The Assembly took no formal action to halt the evictions, or the approval of $5.5 million for the first phase of demolition of the existing homes and site prep for the new development expected to feature four midrise apartment buildings with 150 residential units.
Instead, Mayor Beth Weldon told the audience Telephone Hill will be discussed at an Assembly Committee of the Whole meeting next Monday — two days after the evictions — at which point the next steps in the redevelopment will be detailed.
"Hopefully we can let our plan be known and answer some of the questions that have been out there with that," she said.
A start date for demolition has not yet been set since a contractor has not yet been hired for the work, Weldon said after the meeting. Assembly members have stated the hope is to complete the demolition and site prep work by next summer in the hope of luring developers to bid on the construction of the apartments and other infrastructure for the redeveloped area.
None of the other items on Monday night’s agenda saw Brooks play a decisive role in the outcome — the closest was being among the dissenting votes in a 5-4 decision to transfer $3.5 million in downtown Seawalk funds to a Marine Park improvement project. Most of the rest of the agenda was dealt with quickly by unanimous votes with little or no discussion, including two final votes following an executive session to grant salary increases to City Manager Katie Koester and Wright for her work as the city attorney.
• Contact Mark Sabbatini at editor@juneauindependent.com or (907) 957-2306.
