Two top-tier Haines Borough employees resigned last week, vacating the police chief and public facilities director positions.
Police chief Bill Musser and public facilities director Carlos Jimenez each will work until late May, said manager David Sosa.
Musser, who has been on the job a little more than a year, recently endorsed a $22,000 review of the police department by the Soldotna-based consulting firm Russell Consulting, LLC. The assembly approved the study, which will review the department’s policies, procedures and practices and ultimately provide a “scorecard” reflecting the discrepancies between desired and provided services.
“Chief Musser met with me a week before the audit started and stated that he was considering resigning for personal and family reasons. I asked that he take time to think it over and we met again late last week and he notified me of his formal intent to resign effective May 21,” Sosa said.
Greg Russell of Russell Consulting made his initial visit to Haines last week to begin the review process. He interviewed police department personnel and other members of the community, Sosa said.
Musser’s resignation didn’t have anything to do with the study, Sosa said.
“As to the assessment, it had no bearing on Chief Musser’s decision and there is no change in the process or the timeline for delivery of results. Moreover, the assessment will provide an incoming chief with a very thorough and recent externally-produced understanding of the state of the department,” Sosa said.
Musser did not respond to a request for comment.
Public facilities director Jimenez said in an interview this week he left the job for several reasons, including a job offer from Dawson Construction.
Jimenez worked in construction for 15 years, including four years at Dawson Construction, before his hire at the borough in October 2012.
While Jimenez referred to his work at the borough as “fulfilling,” he also called it “exhausting.” “Work follows you to the airport, to the ferry, to all the restaurants in town,” he said.
“The job requires a lot of after-hours work outside of the normal business hours, and lots of time-consuming meetings,” he added.
After working in the private sector and the government and having the opportunity to compare the two, Jimenez said he decided he wasn’t cut out for working at the borough. “After my time with the borough, I’m realizing I’m cut from the cloth of needing to see something done at the end of the day.”
Jimenez said he had been entertaining Dawson’s job offer for several months and decided going back to the company was “a healthier decision for my family and I.”
Jimenez originally left his job at Dawson because it required him to travel extensively and spend a lot of time away from his family. Dawson has secured several local and regional projects in upcoming years, which will allow Jimenez to stay close to home, he said.
Sosa said Jimenez “has provided exceptional service to the administration, the assembly and the community, and he will be missed.”
In addition to the police chief and public facilities director positions, the borough is also in the process of hiring a new harbormaster following Phil Benner’s resignation in January.