The Haines Borough Assembly voted this week 5-1 to offer George Zoukee the borough manager job. Zoukee and interim manager and borough clerk Alekka Fullerton were finalists for the job. A third candidate dropped out of the running this week.
Mayor Douglas Olerud said the assembly offered Zoukee the position Tuesday and contract discussions began Wednesday.
Zoukee spent most of his career in public sector finance roles, and worked the last seven years as a real estate investor. From 2011 to 2013 he was associate administrator for the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration Business and Finance Development. Other jobs included director of finance for a toll road system in California, vice president of a financial underwriting and municipal underwriting firm in New Jersey, treasurer of a New York City municipal water finance authority and an executive director of the New Hampshire Municipal Bond Bank.
In a job interview with the assembly Monday, Zoukee told the assembly he had experience overseeing the financing of capital improvement projects and said he’d focus on cutting spending in terms of managing the borough budget.
“I would (do) what’s called zero-based budget,” Zoukee said. “Every department has to sing for his or her supper so to speak. Every line item is gone through to the best of our ability.”
He told the assembly he would make a 10-year commitment to the position. In recent years, managers averaged about two years on the job.
“I want something that will challenge me and something where I feel I could make a difference. I think I could bring some needed stability back,” Zoukee said. “I’m not planning on doing something for a year or two and then jumping ship. I think my 10-year commitment hopefully means something. I think the beauty of the area and the challenge of the work would keep me there.”
According to his resume, his longest tenure at a job was in New Hampshire as the executive director of a bond bank from 1993 to 2005. From 2005 to 2013 he held four different jobs for roughly two years each. He said he’s been a real estate investor since 1993.
Zoukee holds a Master of Business Administration degree from Boston University Graduate School of Management with a concentration in finance.
The assembly met in executive session for more than an hour after interviewing Zoukee and Fullerton. Assembly member Paul Rogers made the motion to offer Zoukee the job.
“I think moving forward we can get behind one person who has a lot of skills and abilities to help facilitate moving forward for the years to come,” Rogers said. “I’m pleased with the integrity and humility of the candidate we’re looking at.”
Assembly member Gabe Thomas cast the sole dissenting vote. He cited Fullerton’s work during the pandemic and during the Dec. 2 floods and landslides.
“I feel that Alekka’s earned my vote due to the services she’s provided during these times,” Thomas said. “She stepped right up and did the job and just kept doing it, just kept grinding. She went through not only the pandemic but also the disaster in December. I will be voting no but I do look forward to continuing working with Alekka as the clerk.”
Fullerton has served as interim manager clerk since former manager Debra Schnabel was fired in May 2020.
Fullerton had no comment on the assembly’s decision.
Zoukee did not return a call for comment by presstime.
Of the 31 applicants for the position, 11 applied directly to the borough including Schnabel. The assembly interviewed four applicants in preliminary interviews. In contrast to former manager hiring processes, there were no meetings scheduled with the intent for the public or borough staff to meet or ask questions of the candidates.