Records provided by Alaska Gov. Sean Parnell’s office this week show Haines Borough tourism director Lori Stepansky and assistant Angie Robinson sent e-mails in opposition to cruise ship head tax funds being used for improvements to the fairgrounds’ Harriett Hall.

Robinson also objected to the state providing $2 million for the Chilkat Indian Village to buy the Chilkat Cruises Dock and vessel from Klukwan, Inc. Tour operator Karen Hess also wrote an e-mail to Parnell opposed to the Harriett Hall funding source.

Haines resident Sue Folletti wrote in opposition to state funding of the dock and boat purchase.

Documents provided this week show six e-mails in support of Harriett Hall funding, including ones from fair manager Kelly Hostetler, fair board chair Deborah Davis, Dalton City brewer Paul Wheeler, Sierra Jimenez of Southeast Alaska Independent Living, Suzanne Vuillet-Smith of REACH, Inc. and Joe Poor of the Haines Chamber of Commerce economic development committee.

The CVN last week requested all e-mails, letters, and documented messages to Parnell concerning state funding for Harriett Hall and the Chilkat Cruises facilities purchase.

“Using cruise ship head tax funds for the Harriett Hall project is a complete misappropriation of the funds,” Stepansky wrote in an April 21 e-mail.

In the first sentence, Stepansky identified herself as Haines tourism director, but said she was writing from her personal e-mail, on her own time.

“As much as I would like to see the ADA compliance/winterization of this facility so we may solicit more large groups and conventions to our community throughout the year, I completely disagree with it being funded by cruise ship head tax,” Stepansky wrote.

“The facility is not open or used for any purpose during our cruise ship days therefore no cruise ship passengers are benefitting from their money being spent on it,” Stepansky wrote, adding that winterization of the building wouldn’t benefit them, either.

Stepansky wrote a letter of support on state funding for the Harriett Hall project Jan. 8 – before state Rep. Bill Thomas, R-Haines, requested project funding come the regional cruise ship impact fund. “Such improvements to the facility would allow for marketability of the community of Haines for larger conventions, meetings and events,” she wrote.

In her April 21 e-mail, Stepansky went on to request funding for the Port Chilkoot Dock upgrade, saying “Gershon Cohen has been behind a concerted effort to sabotage this project.”

Stepansky further suggested that vetoing the project would look bad for Parnell while handing victories to Cohen and state Rep. Bill Thomas, R-Haines, who at that time was opposing efforts by Parnell to reduce the cruise ship head tax.

“If Haines loses this project, (Rep. Thomas) will trump the Governor’s bill stopped it while he was looking out for the people of his community. Cohen will also claim a victory,” Stepansky wrote.

Stepansky went to Juneau for two days of leave this week and did not return messages left for her Tuesday morning on cell phone and at her office. She did write a follow-up e-mail to the newspaper about the April 21 e-mail.

“Other projects being funded by head tax in the state are the cause of concerns with the cruise lines contributing to what was the potential lawsuit with the state… I just don’t think it would be good for Haines to be part of that type of action. As a private citizen, I felt strongly in conveying this for what I believe to be in the best interest of Haines,” Stepanky wrote.

Robinson’s e-mail said Thomas had a “huge conflict of interest” in the appropriation to the village to buy the dock and boat from Klukwan, Inc. “because he is still a shareholder in Klukwan, Inc.” Robinson also opposed Harriett Hall funding by the head tax, but didn’t explain her opposition in the e-mail.

Robinson also declined to discuss her e-mail with the newspaper but wrote in a separate e-mail to the CVN, “I have read and understand the Federal Maritime Act; and neither Harriett Hall nor the village qualifies for cruise ship head tax funds.” She also gave a definition of conflict of interest, and why Rep. Thomas had one.

Cohen this week said he was “in shock” at Stepanky’s remarks, as he has taken no position “privately or publicly” on the Port Chilkoot Dock issue. “I know people on both sides of this issue. I have done nothing, one way or another. Absolutely nothing… It’s absolutely inappropriate for her to accuse me of this and I fully intend to ask her for the evidence behind this accusation.”

The remark slandered him to the governor, Cohen said. “It’s hard for me to imagine what her motivation might be.”

Hess wrote that she opposed the project being paid for cruise ship money “because the SE Fair doesn’t work with any of the cruise ships for any tours… We get one cruise ship a week and although the fair is open… there may be a handful of passengers that find their way out to the fair to the little brewery.”

Folletti suggested Parnell should help the five “landless” villages (a group that includes Chilkoot Natives) before Klukwan.

“The Klukwan, (Inc.) enrollees that received that received their settlement land and monies are the same people that belong to the Klukwan village today,” Folletti wrote. “To their demise, they eventually ended up in the situation they are in today. Before you spend money helping them get back on their feet, I believe your attention should be directed back to the first ‘Natives Settlement’ along with the Alaska Delegation back in Washington, D.C.,” Folletti wrote.

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