Shannan Greene: Why so late?  Juneau voters deserve timely candidate forums

By SHANNAN GREENE

Oct. 22, 2026 – This year, at the legislative level, Juneau’s incumbent State senator is not up for re-election, and our District 4 – Downtown/Douglas representative is running unopposed.

However, in District 3 – Valley, we have a contested race between 8-year incumbent Andi Story and challenger Annette Kreitzer, whose campaigns have been active for nearly 5 months now.

With the general election right around the corner, I am very concerned that Juneau voters have yet to see these two candidates together in a publicly available forum or debate.

In past election cycles, candidate forums for our Representatives were a regular and welcome feature of Juneau’s civic life.  Specifically, candidates in the 2018 and 2020 District 3 contests report participating in events hosted by the various Rotary Clubs, the League of Women Voters, Retired State and Federal Employees groups, a Native issues forum, one at Juneau Chamber of Commerce, and voter engagements at UAS.

With the exception of a Gastineau Rotary member Q&A held Sept. 3, it was not until Oct. 19 – the first day of early voting – that House candidates received any additional forum invitations. Only then did Glacier Valley Rotary and Juneau Chamber of Commerce request participation in legislative candidate forums, which are scheduled for Oct. 28 and 29 respectively… a mere five days before the November 3 election.

Why so late?  Particularly since as many as half of Juneau’s voters may cast their ballots early.  For those voters, a forum held in the final days of the campaign offers little to no practical value.

The timing is particularly striking when compared to previous elections.  The Chamber of Commerce held its legislative forum on October 4th in 2018, a full month before Election Day.  In 2020, the forum took place on Oct. 22, 12 days before the election.

Meanwhile, for the 2026 election cycle, Juneau’s League of Women Voters in conjunction with KTOO, readily sponsored both a CBJ Assembly and School Board candidate forum last month.  Is our legislative race not considered equally important for our voters, especially with respect to the number of critical statewide decisions currently before our legislators?

There is a larger issue here. When a seat has been held by the same party for several years, it can be tempting for everyone involved to treat the outcome as familiar, predictable, or even inevitable. But elections are not formalities, and incumbency should never exempt candidates from scrutiny or spotlight. To make informed choices, voters deserve to hear competing perspectives, ask questions, and compare the records, priorities, and plans of those seeking to represent them.

I am not suggesting that any organization deliberately set out to limit debate or protect an incumbent, but the timing raises a fair question: Have our civic institutions become too comfortable with the status quo?

The Chamber, the League of Women Voters, KTOO, Rotary Clubs, and other civic organizations serve an essential role in our community. Their work helps voters engage with candidates and issues beyond campaign mailers, advertisements, and carefully managed talking points. That role matters regardless of party affiliation or which candidate ultimately wins.

Additional forums before Election Day are certainly better than just a sole, limited event. But Juneau deserves more than last-minute opportunities to hear directly from the candidates asking for our votes. Civil public discourse is healthy and necessary for an informed and engaged community, even more so in one with strong opposing views. Providing active and available forums in a consistent, impartial manner is key. That’s the bar we should always strive for.

Shannan Greene is a retired U.S. Coast Guard Captain with 31 years of active duty service.  She relocated to Alaska in 2014 to serve as operational commander of 11 units across SEAK and Captain of the Port, later leading statewide contingency planning preparedness efforts.  She has been a resident of Juneau for 12 years and currently serves as Co-Chair for Districts 3 & 4 in the Alaska Republican Party.