The Haines Borough Assembly voted Tuesday to solicit letters of interest to fill its sixth seat left vacant by Sean Maidy last month.
Immediately following the Dec. 10 assembly meeting, Maidy resigned his seat over a dispute over charter amendment. “I resigned because I cannot be a party to an assembly who willingly and knowingly violates their own charter,” Maidy told the CVN after the meeting.
On Tuesday, the assembly unanimously accepted Maidy’s resignation, declared his seat vacant, and solicited letters of interest.
“Because of the timing and with no elections close in either direction, the suggested motion is to solicit letters of interest from qualified persons to be submitted to the clerks by 4 p.m. on Jan. 24, 2020,” Mayor Jan Hill said.
The assembly will hold a committee of the whole meeting at 5:30 p.m. on Jan. 28 to interview prospective candidates and select a new member.
Diana Lapham and Jerry Lapp, both former assembly members, both preemptively submited letters of intent to the clerk last month. Though the assembly holds the discretion on how to fill its vacant seat, it has traditionally requested letters of interest from citizens.
Lapham, who served on the assembly from 2013 to 2016, declared candidacy in August for the municipal elections, but withdrew without explanation. Now, she says she’s ready to run again.
“I’ve always had an interest,” Lapham told the CVN. “I started a campaign last year and withdrew, and I had hopes of running a campaign this coming year.”
Lapham serves as chair of the planning commission, vice chair on the tourism advisory board and a committee member on the Ports and Harbor Advisory Committee. If elected to the assembly, she would have to vacate her committee posts.
Lapham said she believes in tightening the budget, and prioritizing critical infrastructure, such as public safety, schools and roads.
Jerry Lapp, retired Haines resident of 45 years, said he has the time to serve again on the assembly. “I just thought if there was a vacant seat, because I’m familiar with the processes, it would be easy to put me in that position,” he said.
Lapp served as Haines Borough Mayor for six consecutive years, as an assembly member from 2001 to 2014, school board president for six years, and currently serves as a chamber of commerce board member.
He said he thinks the big issue facing Haines is the loss of weekly large cruise ship dockings, and believes in prioritizing infrastructure in Haines’ operating budget.
The appointee would fill the seat until October 2020 general election, when voters would elect a new assembly member. Whoever voters elect will serve until Maidy’s term expires in October 2021.