On Oct. 14, 1986, Mayor Ernie Polley issued a statement at a city Assembly meeting about a meeting — which some questioned as illegal given it was not publicized beforehand — he held at his house with 10 other City and Borough of Juneau Assembly members regarding the Mount Juneau tram project and Alaska Electric Light and Power Co.
Instead of apologizing to the city, like the other Assembly members did the previous week, Mayor Polley apologized to the two companies and again defended his belief that the meeting was not illegal. The mayor’s statement followed a suggestion from one Assembly member to review the Open Meetings Act and revise the law if necessary. There continued to be a large debate on the act, and because of the controversy, the Juneau School Board had also thought to take a closer look at the provision and seek legal advice on the violation. The board had usually scheduled informal meetings with a few members, not necessarily to talk about school board issues, although these topics would come up on occasion.
Meanwhile, election season continued to ramp up, with incumbent U.S. Sen. Frank Murkowski ahead of his opponent, Glenn Olds.
