The Haines Borough will hire a deputy clerk to assist clerk Alekka Fullerton, who is currently also serving as borough manager.
The Haines Borough Assembly asked Fullerton to serve as interim after firing manager Debra Schnabel last May. At the time, Fullerton said she would serve in the interim position as long as needed. The assembly approved a 20% pay increase while she worked the two jobs.
After a series of delays, the assembly finally advertised the manager position in January 2021. Fullerton applied, along with 30 other candidates. The search ended with the assembly extending a job offer to Tennessee real estate investor George Zoukee, who turned down the offer in late March, citing the complicated logistics of moving.
On April 2, Fullerton, the only other finalist for the position, withdrew her application, saying she felt like her hire had become a point of division for the community. At the same meeting, the assembly agreed to restart the hiring search and said it would be beneficial to hire someone to assist Fullerton with her dual duties.
“The three options that we looked at were hiring a deputy clerk, finding a full clerk to step in temporarily and having a new interim manager,” Mayor Douglas Olerud said in an interview Monday. He said locals with clerk experience were unavailable, as were the previous managers the borough contacted.
Olerud said he didn’t reach out to Schnabel.
“Hiring a deputy clerk is the most feasible option,” Fullerton said. At the April 2 meeting, she advocated for that option, saying the position should be filled regardless of whether the borough brings on an interim clerk or manager, as borough staff are already overburdened.
The borough hasn’t had a deputy clerk since 2018 when Fullerton was promoted to clerk after Julie Cozzi retired.
The application deadline for deputy clerk is April 26.