Haines Borough Manager David Sosa said this week that if the proposed community and economic development director position is not approved by the assembly, executive assistant to the manager Darsie Culbeck will be able to return to his regular position this fall.
Culbeck’s last day at the borough was May 16. He will be working as camp manager for Constantine Metal Resources at the exploration company’s Palmer Project location 40 miles northwest of Haines until the end of August.
Culbeck also worked as camp manager for Constantine last year, managing day-to-day operations including supplies procurement, oversight of field communications and other administrative tasks, said Constantine’s vice president of exploration Darwin Green.
If the assembly approves creation of the community and economic development position during the budget process, the borough will advertise the position and treat Culbeck the same as all other applicants in the event that he applies, Sosa said.
“We will accept applications and we will go through an interview process,” Sosa said. “We’ll handle that position as we would any position.”
Culbeck submitted a proposal to the personnel committee in January asking for a change in job title and responsibilities, including an increased supervisory role over the pool and parks and recreation departments.
According to Culbeck’s draft proposal, his job title would be switched to community and economic development director.
The description for the community and economic development director position is once again under review by the personnel committee. As it stands, the director also would supervise the tourism department, as well as the pool and parks and recreation.
“If the new structure is not approved, then the position of executive (assistant) to the manager will still exist and (Culbeck) will return to fill that position,” Sosa said.
At Wednesday’s personnel committee meeting, assembly member Debra Schnabel called the issue of Culbeck possibly being ushered into the job as “the elephant in the room.”
Schnabel said that if staff and the assembly is happy with Culbeck’s work and want him in the job, they should just redefine Culbeck’s current job description instead of creating a new position.
Assembly member Diana Lapham said she hoped the assembly wasn’t so “jaded” as to think Culbeck would automatically get the job.
“If (Culbeck) is one of (the applicants), great; fine,” Lapham said.
Culbeck became a three-quarter time employee – working for nine months instead of 12 – at the recommendation of former manager Mark Earnest. (The manager’s assistant position was created during Earnest’s tenure, when it was determined to be needed to cover the administrative workload.) In his fiscal year 2014 budget, Earnest recommended cutting the assistant position by 25 percent to save money.
“Since a precedent had been set I agreed to continue with that,” Sosa said.
If the community and economic development director position is approved, the executive assistant to the manager position will be eliminated, Sosa said. If the assembly rejects the development director position, Culbeck will still be the executive assistant, he said.
Sosa said while personally he would like an assistant, he thinks the development director position will better serve the whole community.
Culbeck’s main projects – development of Picture Point, installation of wood pellet boilers in borough facilities, and creation of a sledding hill near Mount Riley Road – have been transferred to other borough staff, Sosa said.
“There is additional work for those staff members, but I think we will be able to address all those issues, but obviously whenever you lose a valued team member, there is a period of adjustment. It’s easier with more hands than less hands,” Sosa said.
The assembly will have a second public hearing on the budget ordinance, including the community and economic development director position, at its meeting Tuesday.