Juneau Assembly candidates pledged more collaboration in conjunction with Central Council of the Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska in a forum held on Friday.
A number of candidates cited the City’s purchase of Pederson Hill property for an unbeatable price for Tlingit Haida Regional Housing Authority. Tlingit Haida Regional Housing Authority as an instance.
“In certain actions you take part in you engage in, there must be cooperation and co-operation together with your City as well as Borough particularly when it comes to delivering homes,” said District 1 candidate Joe Geldhof.
Ten of fourteen Assembly participants attended the event in person, on the Elizabeth Peratrovich Hall, and Geldhof joined the forum via Zoom. Candidates for the Areawide race JoAnn Wallace Emily Mesch and Jeff Jones weren’t in attendance.
The Areawide candidate Ella Adkison, a Curyung tribe member, has said she believes that Tlingit as well as Haida is working on some of similar issues to the city. The tribe provides services for children, elders, Head Start and other educational programs.
“I believe there’s plenty of potential to connect these efforts and collaborate to increase the value of these common constituents that exist,” Adkison said.
A candidate for Areawide Laura Martinson McDonnell said Tlingit and Haida’s job-training programs are crucial for Juneau’s workforce.
The span style=”font-weight 400 ;”>”We have a massive problem in terms of skilled labor shortages,” she said. “If we could provide the same kind of education to the local residents in the area, that will provide a massive solution for development and housing. .”
The Areawide Candidate Ivan Nance spoke about opportunities for Alaska Native people in Juneau to be involved in the city’s government. He is a member of Juneau’s city’s systematic racial discrimination review committee that the Assembly established in 2020.
The span style=”font-weight 400 ;”>”We’re investigating ways to involve more people in the committees and procedures that the city uses,” Nance said. “How do we engage people from every neighborhood involved? ?”
District 2 incumbent Christine Woll said strengthening the relationships between the two government is essential to building trust.
” style=”font-weight 400 ;”>”I believe that CBJ has been working to strengthen relationships with the Native community in Juneau However, I believe we have plenty of work to be done,” Woll said. “If I’m elected again I’m promising that I’ll open my to suggestions on how we can become better partners with the tribes, the corporations, and to other Native groups and to the community in general .”
Tlingit as well as Haida is the state’s most recognized federally recognized tribe that is federally recognized. In May the month of May, President Richard Chalyee Eesh Peterson announced the tribe’s withdrawal out of the Alaska Federation of Natives, noting that the tribe’s capacity to manage relations with federal and state governments independently. They’ve been awarded a state-tribal educational compacting grant and been working to get back the ownership of their traditional lands in the district of Aak’w.
The forum was held on Friday, the day after ballots were sent for registered voters. Election Day is Oct. 3.
