On Oct. 2, 1986, three environmental groups — the Southeast Alaska Conservation Council, the Sierra Club and the Wilderness Society — sued the U.S. Forest Service after the agency announced it would log or build a road in the Tongass National Forest. Before any logging or construction could take place, the Forest Service would be required to provide an environmental analysis on each specific area in the Tongass affected.
On the ballot, municipal officials hoped Juneau voters would approve the city tax update, which would keep the current sales tax at 4 percent. If each question on the October ballot was answered in the affirmative, the tax would have been approved.
Meanwhile, the financial dealings of former Lt. Gov. Terry Miller broke out during his new election for Lt. Governor. Miller had received money from an Anchorage company for unspecified consulting services in 1983, 1984 and 1985. During the time, there was no law barring Miller from receiving payment from the group, and Miller claims that this information had already been listed on his public conflict reporting forms for a while.