Assuming he was muted on Zoom at a Nov. 29 heliski Committee of the Whole meeting, Eric Holle said, “I’d like to kill Liz Cornejo.” Cornejo had just given a public comment in which she critiqued Holle’s use of the word “critical” to describe mountain goat habitat that the state hasn’t designated as “critical.” Earlier in the meeting, Holle, who is the vice president of the Lynn Canal Conservation (LCC) board, had given a presentation outlining environmental concerns about heliskiing.
Holle’s comment sparked a few laughs in the assembly chambers.
“Eric, your mic’s still on,” said Haines Borough Mayor Douglas Olerud. “There’s the truth,” an attendee exclaimed.
After the meeting, Olerud emailed Holle expressing disappointment in the comment and suggested that Holle apologize to Cornejo and the assembly. “It doesn’t help public discourse when you mention you’d like to kill someone that critiques your comments,” Olerud wrote.
“Doug you are absolutely right and I apologize for the remark,” Holle replied. “Of course it was not intended for any ears other than the person in the room with me and was the result of my ineptitude with the mute button after I finished speaking. That is no excuse and I should not say such things ever, even in jest.”
A lawyer representing Cornejo sent a letter to Holle, LCC and Southeast Alaska Conservation Council saying, “Your comment that you didn’t intend for anyone but your associate to hear makes your apology ring hollow.” The lawyer requested that the organizations adopt formal anti-hate speech policies as a test of the sincerity of Holle’s apology. Hate speech is defined as “any form of expression through which speakers intend to vilify, humiliate, or incite hatred against a group or a class of persons on the basis of race, religion, skin color, sexual identity, gender identity, ethnicity, disability, or national origin,” according to the American Library Association. (Cornejo declined to comment for this article.)
“Eric Holle made an inappropriate comment at last Monday’s meeting. His comment was not made on behalf of LCC. It doesn’t reflect our values, or the way we engage in public discourse. We don’t condone violent or unkind speech by anyone, in any forum,” wrote LCC executive director Jessica Plachta in an email to the CVN. Plachta said LCC would meet this week to discuss the matter further.
“I made an inappropriate comment at Monday’s COW meeting,” Holle wrote in an email to the CVN. “No one should ever joke about killing someone. I have sent personal apologies to Ms. Cornejo, the Mayor, Manager, and Assembly, and I would like to apologize to the community in general. I take full responsibility for my actions and assure you that I mean no harm toward anyone in the community.”
Holle’s remark prompted allegations that he intentionally threatened Cornejo in public. It also caused a backlash on Facebook, where people called for Holle to step down from the LCC board and to be banned from borough meetings.
Olerud told the CVN that the borough does not plan to ban Holle from public meetings.