Assembly – Page 7 – City and Borough of Juneau

Katie Koester to serve as next City and Borough of Juneau Manager

The City and Borough of Juneau Assembly is extremely pleased to announce the appointment of Katie Koester as Juneau’s next City Manager. Koester, who currently serves as the CBJ Director of Engineering and Public Works, will assume the role in September alongside outgoing City Manager Rorie Watt.

“It is a tremendous honor to be chosen to serve as Juneau’s next City Manager,” said Koester. “CBJ has dedicated and professional staff, committed leadership on the Assembly and an engaged citizenry all working together for the good of our community.”

“We feel so fortunate to be able to hire someone who has already served as an Alaskan municipal manager, leads a major department in our city, and regularly demonstrates her passion for Juneau,” said Assembly member and City Manager Recruitment Committee Chair Christine Woll. “I feel confident that our municipal government will be in excellent hands.”

Koester joined CBJ in 2020, leading one of the city’s largest departments in the management of Juneau’s streets, public transit system, water and wastewater utility, maintenance, and construction. Prior to joining CBJ, Koester served as the City Manager of Homer, Alaska for five years, where she developed and executed the city budget, oversaw capital improvement planning, and directed operation of all city departments.

Koester holds a Master of Public Administration from the University of Alaska Southeast along with a Master of Political Science from the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile and a Bachelor of Arts in Government from Smith College. She currently serves on the board of the Southeast Conference Regional Economic Development Association and the Glacier Valley Rotary Club. She is a past president of the Alaska Municipal Management Association.

Watt announced his intent to retire at an Assembly meeting on April 17. The CBJ Assembly immediately convened a special committee to begin the search and recruitment process. The committee met six times over the next three months to establish hiring criteria, determine recruitment strategies, review applications, and interview candidates.

Following a 30-day application period which drew prospective candidates from across Alaska and the US, the committee began reviewing applications on June 27. The committee conducted video interviews with each candidate that met the hiring criteria, after which the full Assembly selected who to invite to interviews with the full body and senior leadership on site. The Assembly held a final selection vote on August 2.

August 2nd, 2023|

Is your voter information current for the October 3, 2023 Regular Municipal Election?

CBJ Elections are now conducted as By Mail Elections.
That means that all CBJ registered voters in active status with the State of Alaska Division of Elections, as of September 3, 2023 will be mailed a ballot for the October 3, 2023 Regular Municipal Election. Ballots will go in the mail on September 14 to the mailing address on file with the State of Alaska Division of Elections. Precinct polling places that are used in the State of Alaska elections will not be used during the CBJ Election. However, we will have a variety of methods by which you may return your voted ballot which include:

Taking them to a Vote Center (Located at City Hall or the Mendenhall Valley Library),
Dropping them in an official Ballot Drop Boxes (Located Douglas Public Library and Auke Bay/Statter Harbor boat launch parking lot), or
Returning your voted ballot by mail.

The deadline to register to vote or update your address for the October 3, 2023 Municipal Election is Sunday, September 3, 2023. Register or update your address online through the Alaska Division of Elections or in person at: the City Clerk’s Office (City Hall, 155 S Seward St), Alaska Division of Elections (9109 Mendenhall Mall Road Suite 3), or any of the Juneau Public Libraries.

If you wish to check your voter information currently on file with the State Division of Elections, go to myvoterinformation.alaska.gov and follow the instructions.

Will you be traveling during the election period and not able to receive your ballot at your regular mailing address? You can apply to have your ballot sent to a temporary address or to receive a ballot by fax or email.

2023 CBJ Temporary Address Application. Apply early! Applications received by Tuesday, August 29, 2023 will result in ballots mailed out on September 14th to the temporary address. The last day to apply to have your ballot mailed to a temporary address is Tuesday, September 26, 2023. Ballots returned through the mail must legibly postmarked no later than Election Day, October 3, 2023 and received by the Clerk’s Office no later than the start of the Canvass Review Board certification on Monday, October 16, 2023.

2023 CBJ Application for a Fax/e-ballot. Apply early! Applications for Fax/e-ballot are due by 5:00p.m. Monday, October 2, 2023. Ballots returned by fax or email must arrive by 8:00pm on Election Day, Tuesday October 3, 2023.

Click the links on the main election page for more information or contact the Clerk’s Office at (907) 586-5278 or [email protected].

July 27th, 2023|

July 17, 2023 Assembly Committee of the Whole (COW) Meeting Cancelled

The Assembly Committee of the Whole Worksession scheduled for Monday, July 17 at 6:00pm in the Assembly Chambers and via Zoom has been cancelled due to lack of quorum. The next regular COW meeting is scheduled for Monday, August 7, 2023 at 6:00pm in the Assembly Chambers and via Zoom. Agenda topics on the July 17 COW meeting will be forwarded to the August 7 meeting for consideration.

The Lands, Housing, and Economic Development Committee scheduled for Monday, July 17 at 5:00p.m. in the Assembly Chambers and via Zoom will proceed as scheduled. All Assembly and Committee packet information is available online at https://juneau-ak.municodemeetings.com/

For more information please contact the Clerk’s Office at 586-5278 or [email protected]

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July 17th, 2023|

2023 Municipal Election Candidate Filing Period Opens July 14

The 2023 City and Borough of Juneau Regular Municipal Election candidate filing period opens Friday, July 14 at 8 a.m. and closes Monday, July 24, at 4:30 p.m.

This fall, Juneau voters will elect four Assembly members and two Board of Education (School Board) members. Juneau residents are encouraged to consider this opportunity to serve the public and contribute to their community.

All candidates running for office must complete a Declaration of Candidacy, a Nominating Petition, and an Alaska Public Offices Commission (APOC) Public Official Financial Disclosure form. These forms are available online and must be filed with the CBJ Municipal Clerk’s Office during the filing period.

Declaration of Candidacy and Nominating Petition forms must be submitted to the Clerk in their original paper form (with original signatures and notarized); the Public Official Financial Disclosure form must be filed electronically on APOC’s website and a signed printed copy submitted to the Clerk. The Clerk’s Office cannot certify a candidate’s nominating petition without these three paper documents filed in the Clerk’s Office by the close of the filing period on Monday, July 24 at 4:30 p.m.

Candidates for office must be qualified voters of the City and Borough of Juneau and meet the following criteria:

Qualified to vote in State elections;
A resident of the municipality for at least thirty days immediately preceding the election;
Registered to vote in state elections at a residence address within the municipality at least thirty days before the municipal election at which the person seeks to vote; and
Not disqualified under Article V of the Alaska Constitution.

In addition, candidates for Assembly must be a resident of CBJ for at least one year immediately preceding election to office. See below for information on District seat eligibility.

The following Assembly and Board of Education seats are open in this election:

Assembly

Two Areawide Assembly seats will be open, one for a full three-year term and one for a two-year term remainder. Voters may vote for up to two candidates for Areawide Assembly. The candidate with the highest number of votes will fill the three-year term seat, and the candidate with the second-highest number of votes will fill the two-year term remainder seat.

One District 1 Assembly seat will be open for a full three-year term. Residents of Downtown Juneau, Douglas, North Douglas, Lemon Creek and the Airport area are eligible to run for District 1.

One District 2 Assembly seat will be open for a full three-year term. Residents of Mendenhall Valley and out the road are eligible to run for District 2.

Assemblymembers are term limited to a maximum of three consecutive three-year terms before they must step down for a minimum of one year before they are eligible to run again for Assembly. All Juneau area voters may vote for all races on the ballot.

Board of Education

Two Board of Education (School Board) seats will be open in this election. Voters may vote for up to two candidates for Board of Education seats. There are no term limits for Board of Education members.

2023 Regular Municipal Election Information

The election will take place Tuesday, October 3. Ballots will be mailed to all registered voters on September 14, and voters are encouraged to take advantage of the opportunity to drop off their ballot at a ballot drop box or at one of two Vote Centers (City Hall or Mendenhall Library), or return their ballot by mail to avoid waiting in line on Election Day. The deadline to register to vote or update your voter information (including mailing address) is September 3.

Click the links on the main election page for more information or contact the Clerk’s Office at (907) 586-5278 or [email protected].

July 13th, 2023|

CBJ Assembly Appoints Loren Jones to Vacant Areawide Seat Through October 3

The City & Borough of Juneau Assembly has appointed Loren Jones to fill the Areawide Assembly seat vacated by Carole Triem from July 10 through the October 3 municipal election.

Jones represented District 1 for three full terms, from October 2012 through October 2021. He was elected Deputy Mayor by the Assembly in October 2020. In addition to ten years as director of the State of Alaska Division of Alcoholism and Drug Abuse, Jones has served on the Alaska Marijuana Control Board, United Way of Southeast Alaska Board, Juneau World Affairs Council, and a number of other local nonprofits.

The open Areawide seat will be permanently filled in the October 3 election. Two Areawide Assembly Members will be elected, with the candidate receiving the most votes filling outgoing member Maria Gladziszewski’s seat for one full term and the candidate receiving the second-most number of votes filling Triem’s seat for the remaining two years of her term.

The Assembly also made temporary appointments for Triem’s former committee assignments. Assembly Member Christine Woll will serve as Finance Committee Chair and Assembly Member Michelle Hale will serve as Bartlett Regional Hospital liaison until new appointments are made.

For more information, visit juneau.org/assembly.

July 12th, 2023|