Sealaska shareholders meet Saturday in Juneau for their annual meeting.
The regional Native corporation has about 22,000 shareholders with roots in Southeast Alaska. Many live outside the region.
Board election results will be announced at the meeting, which starts at 9:30 a.m. in the capital city’s Centennial Hall. Shareholders will also be able to attend via a webcast.
Board candidates will have a chance to speak, though most shareholders have already voted. Five independent candidates are challenging the same number of incumbents. Sealaska’s financial performance is a major issue.
No resolutions are on this year’s ballot. Past years have seen votes on term limits, shareholders’ descendants’ stock and discretionary voting.
Incumbents on the board slate are Juneau’s Joe Nelson and Barbara Cadiente, Angoon’s Albert Kookesh, Haines’ Bill Thomas and Washington state’s Tate London.
The independent candidates are Juneau’s Karen Taug and Brad Fluetsch, New Mexico’s Ray Austin, California’s Catherine Edwards and Yakutat’s Ralph Wolfe.
No opposition slate formed this year. Four independents ran as a group in 2014.
Ed Schoenfeld is Regional News Director for CoastAlaska, a consortium of public radio stations in Ketchikan, Juneau, Sitka, Petersburg and Wrangell.
He primarily covers Southeast Alaska regional topics, including the state ferry system, transboundary mining, the Tongass National Forest and Native corporations and issues.
He has also worked as a manager, editor and reporter for the Juneau Empire newspaper and Juneau public radio station KTOO. He’s also reported for commercial station KINY in Juneau and public stations KPFA in Berkley, WYSO in Yellow Springs, Ohio, and WUHY in Philadelphia. He’s lived in Alaska since 1979 and is a contributor to Alaska Public Radio Network newscasts, the Northwest (Public Radio) News Network and National Native News. He is a board member of the Alaska Press Club. Originally from Cleveland, Ohio, he lives in Douglas.
