Paul Kelly

Why are you running for office?

I’m running for office for the same reason I ran back when I ran for the school board in 2018. And that’s to give back. As a third generation Alaskan, I grew up with many opportunities, and I want to make sure that the next generation of Alaskans also have these same opportunities.

COVID-19

Regarding COVID-19, at what point, or under what conditions do you think Juneau should fully reopen?

I would be comfortable fully reopening consistent with the advice of the EOC and the CDC. I would like to see little to no community spread.

Economy

Do you think the pace of development and economic growth in Juneau is too fast, too slow or about right? Why?

I believe we have a little bit of catching up to do after the pandemic impacted our economy. I’ve done a bit of research into this and I wrote a paper on this for this last last semester at UAS. And one thing I discovered is we already have a pretty diverse economy, I would like to see us expand the tourism industry to cater to more independent travelers and cultural tourism.

Working together

What’s your approach for dealing with colleagues you disagree with on policy matters?

My approach is to have a frank and fair debate in the public view, so that way the public has the opportunity to see all sides. And then once the votes are cast, just go back to continuing to do the work of the people and expect that in a healthy democracy you are going to have disagreements and you should, and that’s how good policy is made.

Hazard mitigation

City-hired experts produced new hazard maps for avalanches and landslides — how should the city balance responsible development with the needs of community members already living there?

So I’m still developing my position on this. This question is actually very timely, because I recently had an inquiry come into my campaign inbox. And so I’m putting some thought into it. My first priority, of course, is going to be safety. And my second priority is going to be not to increase the burden on the landowners already living there. I think it’s already difficult enough to find affordable housing in Juneau. So as I form my position and decide what I’m going to do going forward, those will be my priorities I consider. 

Serving Juneau

Which parts of Juneau do you think are underserved by the city administration and what will you do about it?

I believe the city has already done a lot to invest in our school facilities, but a lot of the burden that was carried by the state has been pushed back to the city. So I think we have a growing list of deferred maintenance for our schools. I think we need to invest in our aging infrastructure, including our roads and our sewers. We’ve made a lot of progress towards going 80% renewable by 2045. I’d like to use federal funds to help build our electric vehicle infrastructure.