A policy on the rights and responsibilities of Haines Borough employees who participate in borough politics will be delineated in an employee handbook that will be developed by the Haines Borough, manager Mark Earnest said recently.
The policy comes in the wake of remarks earlier this year made by tourism director Lori Stepansky opposing state spending of cruise ship head tax revenue on improvements to Harriett Hall.
Stepansky e-mailed comments to Gov. Sean Parnell, urging a veto of a capital request, and included in the message that she was the town’s tourism director. Parnell vetoed the funding – which had been sought by borough leaders – and an aide cited local opposition as among reasons for its denial.
Earnest would not say what, if any, action the borough took against Stepansky, saying only that it was “addressed as a personnel matter.” The question of employee participation in local politics is not specifically addressed in borough code, he said.
The policy is being developed in coordination with the borough workers’ union. Earnest said he didn’t know if the policy would be included in borough code or in the union contract.
The new policy will “strike the right balance between free speech and an employee’s responsibility,” Earnest said. “It’s to provide clear guidance on this in the future.”