In recent years, behavior at Haines Borough Assembly meetings has gotten a bit unruly.
“Some of the meetings recently have just been haywire,” said assembly member Margaret Friedenauer, who along with fellow assembly member Ron Jackson has put together a proposed “Code of Conduct Policy” for assembly and advisory board members.
The four-page document includes 11 main points, such as “conduct at public meetings,” “respect for process,” “communication and access” and “advocacy.”
“The consistent theme throughout these conduct guidelines is ‘respect,’” the document’s preamble reads. “Respect of others is central to encouraging productive dialogue that can resolve differences and build relationships. Hopefully these guidelines will help guide members to maintain respect for all participants in even the most difficult situations.”
Friedenauer said assembly member behavior was an issue even before she was elected in October.
“As a new assembly member, I find it difficult to work as a group sometimes with all our different personalities,” she said. “Personally, I have gotten angry at meetings and I’ve let that anger show and I’m trying to figure out a way that we can all work together a little better, including myself.”
The document was based on reviews of codes of conduct for other communities, Alaska Municipal League materials and other research. Friedenauer also included some of her own language and ideas, specifically the section on “Communication and Access.”
That part of the code of conduct states members of the assembly “shall publicly share substantive information that is relevant to a matter under consideration that they may have received from sources outside of the public decision-making process. No member shall have ‘special’ access to staff, the Mayor or information on any subject. If an individual member receives information pertinent to the entire body, that information should be disseminated to the group through the borough clerk.”
Friedenauer said she included that clause due to frustration she has experienced with some assembly members being made privy to more information than others. Some discussions take place between members of the administration and certain members of the assembly, but that information isn’t disseminated to the rest of the group.
When the document was discussed at the Feb. 23 assembly meeting, some members expressed concerns about its length.
“The problem that I see with it is not its quality but it’s quantity,” said assembly member Mike Case. “I think it’s so long that we would have a more effective document if we could take the essence of it and boil it down.”
Assembly member Diana Lapham also pointed out that there are sections of Haines Borough Code that address ethics and behavior, and said she would like to see code and the proposed document merged into one.
But that’s missing the point, Friedenauer said in an interview after the meeting. “You really just want to guide. You want something to hold yourself accountable, but it doesn’t necessarily have to be legal,” she said.
Included in the assembly’s packet was a 1996 “Haines Code of Conduct” developed by Haines residents under the facilitation of Dan Henry. Assembly member George Campbell said the 1996 document seemed fine, and that the new proposal was just trying “to recreate the wheel.”
“We don’t need to have a whole bunch of meetings discussing this and disseminating this. I think what we need to do is figure out how we’re going to fund our sewer treatment plant, Lutak Dock, our harbor project, and how to get them done, instead of spending all our time going back and forth on things like this at meetings. I’m sorry, but there’s only so much time and right now I don’t think we’re using it wisely,” Campbell said.
The document was referred to the Government Affairs and Services Committee, which has repeatedly postponed discussion of the topic.