Lobbyist Ted Popely will represent the Haines Borough through the end of the year for $48,000.

In keeping with a Government Affairs and Services (GAS) Committee recommendation from last week, the full Haines Borough Assembly voted 5-1 at a March 9 meeting to hire Popely. Assembly member Caitie Kirby was the sole “no” vote.

During GAS Committee discussion, Kirby was outspoken in her opposition, likening hiring a lobbyist to gambling with taxpayer dollars. At Tuesday’s assembly meeting, she said she’d come around to the idea but thought the decision to hire Popely had come up rather abruptly and the public should be given more of a chance to weigh in.

Assembly members who voted in favor of Popely’s hire cited the need to move swiftly. The Alaska legislative session is already half-way through. These assembly members said they supported Popely’s hire because they hope he will be able to secure funding for some of the borough’s big-ticket capital projects like the Lutak Dock and the public safety building, projects ranging from $15 million to $30 million.

Assembly members said it’s especially important to have a presence in Juneau this year because of the funding that is likely to flow into the state through the CARES Act.

“If we hadn’t gone through the 2020 year that shut down the economy, if we had not had that weather event on December 2, we might feel like we had time to process this and research more, but we are in a position where we owe it to the community to pull out all the stops to get as much as possible to rebuild critical infrastructure,” assembly member Cheryl Stickler said.

Assembly member Gabe Thomas, who originally suggested Popely, said his suggestion was based on Popely’s experience and current client list. Assembly discussion about hiring a lobbyist was first sparked by an offer Mayor Douglas Olerud received last month from lobbyists Thor Stacey and Reid Harris, who offered their services to Haines for $1. The two do not have prior experience representing municipalities, which concerned several assembly members.

“When I saw Thor Stacey’s offer and the topic was opened about hiring a lobbyist, I made a couple phone calls, saying, ‘We need a lobbyist with municipal experience,’” Thomas said. He said Popely was one of a few lobbyists whose “resume fit us,” who doesn’t currently represent another municipality. Popely represents 16 clients ranging from Native corporations to Fred Meyers to the Anchorage Police Department Employees Association.

Kirby said based on conversations with Haines state representatives, she thinks there will be limited capital project funding opportunities this year.

Recent state capital and operating budgets have been lean, given the state’s ongoing spending gap. In interviews with the CVN this past week, Haines representatives said there’s potential that a little more funding will be available for capital projects than in previous years.

“It’s slightly more fluid this year with the bond package proposal, but ultimately, the state budget is still super tight, and there’s no spigot of gravy flowing,” said Sen. Jesse Kiehl, who represents Haines.

This year, Gov. Mike Dunleavy has proposed a $350 million bond package to put Alaskans to work and fund shovel-ready capital projects. At present, neither the bond package, which will require voter approval if it passes the legislature, nor the capital budget includes Haines-specific projects.

Rep. Sara Hannan, Haines’ other representative, said things could shift before the end of the legislative session. “It is likely you will need some distribution in projects statewide to get it passed by the legislature,” she said.

Kiehl said while it’s unlikely Alaska will dedicate state dollars to capital projects in Haines, it’s possible the bond package could include something. He said it’s also possible the state will receive funding in the $1.9 billion coronavirus stimulus package that the U.S. Congress approved Wednesday, but it’s too soon to say.

Both legislators said they are aware of Haines’ capital project needs and are working to secure funding.

Hannan said she and Kiehl are meeting with Juneau Rep. Andi Story this week to go through the capital project funding requests from the communities they represent, and come up with a priority list.

“We need to look at all communities’ needs and look at strategy to get something for the district,” she said, adding that it won’t be possible to get funding for projects in all the communities they represent, a list that includes Juneau, Haines, Skagway, Klukwan and Gustavus. Hannan said that’s why some communities elect to hire their own lobbyists.

Southeast communities with state lobbyists include Skagway, Petersburg, Wrangell, Hoonah, Sitka, Ketchikan and Juneau.

Funding for Popely’s hire will come out of the borough’s tourism and economic development fund. The fund is supported by a 1% sales tax specifically dedicated to tourism promotion and economic development. The last time the Haines Borough had a lobbyist in Juneau was in 2017. Former state legislator Bill Thomas, assembly member Thomas’ father, was hired by the borough at an annual rate of $45,000.