Empire editorial: Fresh perspectives are the best choices
Voters on Tuesday will have three chances to send someone new to the Juneau Assembly, and in two cases they should seize it.
Johan Dybdahl and Jeff Bush would be newcomers to the Assembly, but are by no means new to public service in Juneau.
Dybdahl runs unopposed on the ballot for an at-large seat, though he faces a recent write-in challenge from Juneau Arts and Humanities Council Executive Director Sybil Davis, who previously dropped out of the race for lack of time to devote to the campaign. Dybdahl, president of the company that developed Hoonah's first cruise ship destination and chairman of the Juneau Planning Commission, has shown that he has the time to devote to the task and deserves the chance. He has served on the commission since 1989, and as its chairman since 1995. And there's something genuinely likable about a man who acknowledges singing Neil Diamond karaoke songs.
Bush, an insurance company director and former Juneau School Board member, challenges incumbent Jeannie Johnson in District 1 and could provide an important counterweight on an Assembly that otherwise may tilt toward unchecked tourism development that neglects the role of downtown Juneau as a community hub. He has opposed building another cruise ship dock downtown while other candidates have said they want to hear from industry officials first. He also has noted downtown Juneau's descent into a seasonal T-shirt outlet with minimal dining options, and has pushed for utmost city school funding and support for a Mendenhall Valley pool and recreation center, an 18-hole golf course and an improved downtown waterfront. All of this suggests a candidate who backs a better Juneau for Juneau residents.
In District 2, incumbent Randy Wanamaker is the logical choice. He makes a priority of economic diversification, which Juneau sorely needs. Wanamaker is challenged by Moose Lodge administrator James Reid, whose ideas to move the city government into the former Kmart building and sell Eaglecrest Ski Area are unrealistic.
The School Board race, in which three candidates compete for two seats, offers few clear differences. All three - six-year board member Mary Becker, financial executive Bill Peters and grant writer LaVonne Garvey - support a new high school and the district's new dress code, and say they'll work to improve race relations and foster parental involvement. Garvey has forcefully argued for cultural diversification education and zero tolerance of racial harassment. She has said the board needs new faces to encourage creative solutions. In an election that offers few other articulated contrasts, it's a valid point. Garvey and Peters could contribute new perspectives while at the same time applying financial know-how in what promises to be a trying era.