I have always been an independent voter. I am also a longtime supporter of the Juneau Access project. To me, this is not a partisan issue.
When I campaigned for the Mendenhall Valley Assembly seat in September 2016, I used campaign funds to survey Mendenhall Valley residents about Juneau Access. What I learned from over 800 responses was that 65 percent of Valley voters support the road.
After Justin Parish was elected to the Legislature in November 2016, I shared those results with him so he would know how our district views the issue.
Last spring, Parish seemed to be listening. When nearly $24 million in Juneau Access funding was being stripped from the budget (for use outside of Juneau), Parish opposed that action and convinced Rep. Scott Kawasaki, D-Fairbanks, to do the same.
However, on Monday March 12, Parish reversed his position. Rep. Lance Pruitt, R-Anchorage, offered an amendment to restore $21 million of road funding that had been lost. All Republicans and Independent Jason Grenn of Anchorage supported the amendment. But Parish voted against it. The final vote was 20 against and 19 for the amendment. His single “no” vote killed the amendment and deprived Juneau of over $20 million that was taken from us last year.
Juneau Access funds were originally appropriated due to the hard work of many Juneau residents, especially union workers and locals who want jobs, a stronger economy, and to keep the Capital here in Juneau.
I am disappointed Parish chose to vote with his caucus instead of his constituents.
Beth Weldon,
Juneau