Election reflections
The first order of business is to congratulate the winners: Juneau's new (renewed) mayor Bruce Botelho; Assembly members David Stone and Dan Peterson; School Board members Julie Morris, Andi Story, Phyllis Carlson and Rhonda Befort.
Congratulations to the winner of the fifth School Board seat will go to either William Peters or Alan Schorr, pending the final count of votes.
Outgoing mayor Sally Smith and Assembly members Dale Anderson and Ken Koelsch are owed a great debt of gratitude for the significant contribution they have made in serving their community for the past three years. Praise is also due to all the outgoing School Board members and also to all remaining candidates who made the noble and unselfish decision to serve.
It is the rare person who is willing to make the personal commitment and sacrifice necessary to run for public office, and for those who succeed, the demands are only extended.
This election season was remarkable in that the issues rather than the character flaws of opponents took center state in the three contested races.
The two mayoral candidates, Dick Knapp and Bruce Botehlo, made a pact with each other early on to stick to the issues, in the same spirit as exhibited by Bruce Weyhrauch and Tim Grussendorf in their State Representative race a year ago.
The clear victories claimed by Botelho and Peterson portends a shift in the local political winds. The voters have spoken. And as such, no one can complain that the new Assembly isn't a reflection of the community, at least the part of the community that really counts - those who show enough interest in local government to participate by voting.
The number of those who didn't participate grew significantly since the last mayoral election. The 2000 election claimed a 49 percent voter turnout. The turnout this fall fell to an estimated level 35 percent, depending upon how much credence is given to the number of registered voters, 24,377, as quantified by the city.
The course local government follows from here, has in effect been determined by roughly 1/3 of the voting population, similar to other levels of apathy found across the country. California is the exception, but by no means is the high turnout there reason to believe that the Republic has reached a hallmark of civic clarity.
Through the course of the election, the candidates did a thorough good job of articulating the many challenges and opportunities that will command action over the coming three years. Mayor Botelho will have the benefit of strong leadership skills and wide local support as he guides Juneau through a defining period in its history.
Don Smith
dssmith@juneauempire.com
586-1428