The borough assembly is scheduled to interview its two finalists for the manager job in a public meeting starting at 6:30 p.m. this evening.
The assembly narrowed down the list of 10 applicants in an executive session Tuesday evening.
The finalists are:
– Annette Kreitzer, of Juneau, who has extensive experience in state government. She has worked as chief of staff to a member of the state Senate Finance Committee, and later as commissioner of the Department of Administration under Govs. Sarah Palin and Sean Parnell. She also served as chief of staff for Lt. Gov. Loren Leman.
Kreitzer has served on the Bartlett Regional Hospital board of directors in Juneau, and is a firearms safety instructor. She has a bachelor’s degree in business management.
– John Millan, of Kennewick, Washington, currently serves as deputy director of public works for the city of Pasco, Washington. His previous job was superintendent of public works for the city of Sunnyside, Washington. Millan served in the U.S. Army and Army National Guard.
He has a bachelor’s degree in organizational leadership and a master’s degree in public administration.
After interviewing the two finalists in a public session this evening, the assembly will move to executive session to discuss the candidates, Mayor Doug Olerud said Wednesday.
The plan is to bring the finalists to Haines next week to meet the assembly and community, including a public reception, possibly at the library, Olerud said.
The assembly discussion of the 10 finalists in executive session Tuesday lasted about an hour, after which the members reconvened in a public session and the Mayor announced the two finalists, noting that both had completed the borough’s job application and met the criteria for the job.
“We look forward to learning more about them,” the Mayor said after announcing the two finalists.
Neither the Mayor nor anyone on the assembly offered any further explanation Tuesday of why they had selected the two finalists from among the 10 applicants, and the Mayor on Wednesday declined to provide any additional comment on the selections or assembly deliberations during the executive session.
“That’s our statement,” Olerud said Wednesday.
The assembly decision to select two finalists in executive session, rather than in a public vote, appears to be a violation of the state’s open meetings law that prohibits action in closed meetings. “Action may not be taken at an executive session, except to give direction to an attorney or labor negotiator regarding the handling of a specific legal matter or pending labor negotiations,” according to state statute.
The borough has been without a permanent manager since last May, when the assembly fired Debra Schnabel from the job. Borough clerk Alekka Fullerton continues to serve as interim manager. An attempt to fill the position in March failed when the applicant turned down the offer.
The borough has been using a consultant with the hiring process, and she was online for Tuesday’s assembly meeting and attended the executive session.
The only Haines applicant for the manager position was Helen Alten, currently deputy clerk for the Haines Borough, who worked more than six years as executive director of the Haines Sheldon Museum before the museum board in 2020 eliminated the position and dismissed Alten.