The Alaska Watchman sent some hard-hitting questions to all candidates running for local office in Juneau. Our intent is to give voters a clear sense of who the socially and fiscally conservative candidates are, especially in regard to some of the most hot-button and contentious issues facing our culture.
We had just two Juneau candidates respond, and their answers largely reveal strong conservative principles. All of the other candidates on the ballot were endorsed by radical pro-abortion activists (read here).
The Juneau City and Borough elections are now underway with ballots having been mailed to all qualified registered voters. Ballots can be turned in via drop boxes outside the Douglas Library and the Statter Harbor boat launch, or returned to a vote center at city hall or the Mendenhall Library. Ballots can also be mailed through the U.S. Postal Service no later than Oct. 5.
For more information, go to juneau.org/elections, email CBJ.Elections@juneau.org, or call 586-5278 option 4.
CANDIDATE SURVEY RESPONSES
KELLY FISHLER (Running for Juneau Assembly Dist. 2)
Q: Do you support COVID vaccines or mask mandates?
A: No. Bodily autonomy is essential.
Q: Do you support community-oversight boards for local police?
A: No.
Q: Do you support legal abortion or are you pro-life?
A: I am pro-life. Adoption is very close to my heart.
A: Do you support stronger voter ID protocols for absentee voters?
A: Yes. The best way to ensure trust in elections is with heightened voter integrity measures and consequences for intentional voter fraud.
Q: Do you support universal mail-in voting, like what Anchorage and Juneau currently have?
A: I do not. Voter rolls used for municipal elections are maintained by the state, and the municipalities can flag voters as inactive but the process to purge voters rolls of inactive or ineligible voters is lengthy. Absentee voting is a simpler option to avoid the hazards of inaccurate voter rolls because the voter themselves requests the ballot, which is a prime opportunity to ensure their information and mailing address is correct. As a veteran, I have voted absentee multiple times and support the ability to vote without going to the polls when it is necessary.
Q: Do you support ranked-choice voting?
A: I do not.
Q: How would you describe your political belief system: Conservative, progressive or moderate?
A: I am moderately conservative. I hold various libertarian, moderate and conservative viewpoints.
Q: Name a contemporary political figure and BRIEFLY explain why you admire them.
A: There are several people I admire who have worked tirelessly to preserve and protect the rights, freedoms, health, and economic opportunities for Alaskans. Senators Mike Shower and Lora Reinbold come to mind as well as Representatives Vance and Eastman. These individuals work hard for the people who elected them, and I’m grateful for their efforts.
Q: Do you support gender identity and expression laws to help regulate religious organizations and private businesses?
A: No. Religious organizations should not be pressured by the government.
Q: Do you believe we need tighter gun regulations?
A: No.
Q: Do you believe global climate change is a threat to humanity?
A: I believe it is the duty and responsibility of humanity to steward and manage the world we live in as best we can. Caring for our environment and treating it with respect is essential. When it comes to climate change, it is incumbent upon us to encourage other nations to follow in America’s footsteps and work towards the reduction of things that harm us and our environment.
Q: What church or religious group are you affiliated with, if any?
A: I follow Jesus Christ and attend an Assembly of God church in Juneau.
Q: Do you believe the main-stream media is biased against conservative viewpoints?
A: I think the establishment of more conservative and unbiased media outlets and companies is welcomed and refreshing.
Q: Do you support increasing the minimum wage?
A: No. It prices out jobs from people who often need them the most. Having fewer jobs available is not compassionate and don’t resolve the problems a higher minimum wage hopes to fix.
Q: Do you support school vouchers which allow parents to send their children to whichever schools they choose, whether that be public, private or religious?
A: Absolutely. The education of our children must be a constant pursuit of excellence that benefits students, school choice promotes that and helps keep our schools working towards the best outcome for our future generations.
Q: Do you believe human life begins at conception and should be legally protected?
A: Yes. Bodily autonomy extends to the preborn.
Q: Do you support a full statutory PFD payment to Alaskans?
A: Yes.
Q: Do you believe systemic racism has undermined many of our educational, cultural and governmental institutions?
A: I think it’s very divisive to teach self-identification primarily based on things that we cannot change, such as our heritage or other immovable qualities. Hyper focusing on these isolates the most beautiful part of humanity – the ability to connect with others in spite of differences, and to use those differences as a way to become a multifaceted and well-rounded community where each has individual value. This value should not be solely placed on identity politics, but on the life we make for ourselves and the legacy that we leave our children.
Q: Do you believe bathrooms, showers or locker rooms should be restricted to members of the same biological sex regardless of how someone may sexually identify?
A: Yes.
AARON SPRATT (Running for Juneau School Board)
Q: Do you support COVID vaccines or mask mandates?
A: No, your child, your choice! Parents make the best medical decisions for their children.
Q: Do you support community-oversight boards for local police?
A: I support police oversight, but community-oversight boards often presume systemic racism, which I reject.
Q: Do you support legal abortion or are you pro-life?
A: No. I am absolutely pro-life!
Q: Do you support stronger voter ID protocols for absentee voters?
A: I support voter ID laws.
Q: Do you support universal mail-in voting, like what Anchorage and Juneau currently have?
A: No, voting should be done in person and on paper ballots that are counted by hand.
Q: Do you support ranked-choice voting?
A: No, ranked-choice voting is bad.
Q: How would you describe your political belief system: Conservative, progressive or moderate?
A: Conservative
Q: Name a contemporary political figure and BRIEFLY explain why you admire them.
A: Ron Paul, non-aggressionist, small government, and fierce proponent of individual constitutional rights.
Q: Do you support gender identity and expression laws to help regulate religious organizations and private businesses?
A: No. There are only two genders created by God, male and female. The government needs to stay away from the church.
Q: Do you believe we need tighter gun regulations?
A: Absolutely not! The second amendment ensures our God-given right to protect ourselves from tyrannical governments.
Q: Do you believe global climate change is a threat to humanity?
A: Man-made climate change is a lie. There are natural variations in the climate that we can’t control.
Q: What church or religious group are you affiliated with, if any?
A: Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod.
Q: Do you believe the main-stream media is biased against conservative viewpoints?
A: Yes. Mainstream media is biased garbage.
Q: Do you support increasing the minimum wage?
A: No.
Q: Do you support school vouchers which allow parents to send their children to whichever schools they choose, whether that be public, private or religious?
A: Yes. I believe in the free market of educational choices. Schools need to compete for our students.
Q: Do you believe human life begins at conception and should be legally protected?
A: Yes, 100%.
Q: Do you support a full statutory PFD payment to Alaskans?
A: Yes, keep the government away from our PFD payment!
Q: Do you believe systemic racism has undermined many of our educational, cultural and governmental institutions?
A: No, I am anti-critical race theory. I believe in equality of opportunities, not equality of outcome.
Q: Do you believe bathrooms, showers or locker rooms should be restricted to members of the same biological sex regardless of how someone may sexually identify?
A: Yes, students should only be admitted to bathrooms of their God-given gender at birth.
6 Comments
Outstanding choices!! True Alaskan values.
“Parents make the best medical decisions for their children.”
Think about that for a minute. If true, Who needs doctors?
If its not true then are you saying we should just turn over our kids to the state at birth?
What you are saying is that if parents are not the best persons to make those decisions then any born child should be given to the state for care and upbringing. I worked a lot of years on my kids both physically and mentally. Cost me a lot of time and a lot of dollars. The state would have lost them on the first day, and run out of money doing so. Just ask them now would they rather have grown up with me or the state. And you’ll have the answer to my question above.
You exaggerate.
Parents, after conferring with their doctors, can most certainly make the best medical decisions for their children. No one is saying to eliminate a doctor’s input.
Thom Buzard for school board is also a conservative Christian