There has been a flurry of last-minute entries in the Juneau Assembly race.
The most recent is Cody Shoemaker who is running for mayor. He cleans rental cars for a living and said he’s a genuine regular guy who, like many, is concerned about Juneau’s heroin epidemic and property crime.
“I’m a pretty honest and humble person,” the 27-year-old said by phone on Thursday. “I believe integrity is a very good quality for anybody to have and it’s to really do the right thing when nobody is even watching you, just to be the bigger person.”
Three other candidates are campaigning for mayor. Former Assembly members Beth Weldon and Norton Gregory are running, as is Saralyn Tabachnick, the executive director of the social services nonprofit AWARE.
The most contested spots are the District 2 seats. The top vote-getter will serve three years; the runner up will serve for a year.
Garrett Schoenberger is a late entry, making four people running for the two places. The 36-year-old works for Alaska Legacy Partners, a real estate investment firm developing assisted living facilities for seniors.
He said he’s impressed by Juneau’s entrepreneurs.
“I would say as far as a central issue or a central reason why I’m running is to keep that going,” Schoenberger said in a Thursday interview. “I think it’s super important for Juneau’s next generation to be inspired by that, to know you can do it, you can support a business in this town and grow a business and have a successful business.”
Schoenberger is running against Don Habeger, Wade Bryson, Emil Mackey and Michelle Bonnet Hale.
There’s also a one-year areawide vacancy and two people running for it. The first is Tom Williams. He ran unsuccessfully as a Republican against state Sen. Dennis Egan in 2014. A former CPA with state agency and private sector experience, the 66-year-old Williams said he’s concerned about the city’s financial path.
“My understanding is that we have been increasing the cost of city government for awhile now but we’ve been taking that out of reserves,” Williams said. “And whether or not that will be sustainable without seeing significant increases in our taxes, I have some real concerns about that.”
He’s running against Carole Triem, a state economist. The 30-year-old filed papers to run for Assembly last year but withdrew two days later. Now she said she’s committed to bringing a new perspective.
“As the youngest candidate for the Areawide seat by far, the big issues I see are those issues that are facing young families,” she said. “Particularly affordable and accessible childcare and housing.”
KTOO will co-host a candidates forum with the League of Women Voters on Sept. 20.
The municipal election is Oct. 2.