Assembly and mayoral candidates sparred over taxes, bullying of public officials, and how the borough should address conflicts of interest at a Sept. 20 candidate forum at the Chilkat Center, the last public forum before the Oct. 3 borough election.

Moderators Kyle Clayton, the publisher of CVN, and KHNS reporters Alain D’Epremesnil and Brandon Wilks asked candidates whether they thought bullying of public officials was an issue, which elicited strong responses.

“This question really makes me sad. I would hate to think anyone is bullying their political opponent. I’m not a bully,” said Diana Lapham, one of five candidates vying for three open seats on the assembly.

Mayoral candidate Tom Morphet, on the other hand, said he believed bullying belied a darker side of Haines, and pointed to past experiences of assembly members.

“I think Tyler Huling was a victim of bullying, and I think Margaret Friedenauer was a victim of bullying,” said Morphet. In February of 2023, Huling resigned from the Haines Borough Assembly, becoming the sixth member in six years to do so. Friedenauer resigned from her position in the borough in 2017, citing an overwhelming sense of bitterness and cynicism. Morphet also said the recall effort in 2017 against assembly members Tresham Gregg, Heather Lende, and himself was a form of bullying. Recall leaders claimed the assembly members violated the Open Meetings Act and coerced a subordinate borough employee, but the recall ultimately failed with nearly 60% of Haines voters siding with the assembly member.

Kevin Forster said he thinks social media has made bullying worse. “I think we need to start by holding each other accountable, particularly with people on our side of the aisle, and give each other the benefit of the doubt,” he said. Natalie Dawson suggested the community adopt an anti-bullying curriculum.

“We have to be accountable to each other face to face, which is the beauty of living in a small community,” she said.

Candidates were also asked if they thought borough code adequately addressed conflict of interests. Current statute states that a borough official should announce any “substantial financial or personal interest” before any official action is taken. In the case of assembly members, code stipulates that the Mayor decides if the assembly member should be excused from participation. This decision could be overridden by a majority vote of the borough assembly.

Lapp and Loomis seemed to agree that the process is fine as is. “It just needs to be enforced,” wrote Loomis. “For instance, if you are employed by the mine or subsidiaries,you should not vote on mine issues, period.”

Two current members of the assembly work — Jerry Lapp and Margaret Jones — work for Constantine Metals, a company exploring a mineral prospect in the borough. Both have voted on issues relating to the Palmer Project, to the consternation of some.

“No assembly person should ever have to be forced to decide between the better interests of their employer and the better interest of the public,” said Morphet. Forster and Dawson agreed that the process of determining and calling out conflict should be improved.

“I think we can do more in borough code on conflict of interest,” said Lapham.

When taxes came up, Morphet was the only candidate with ideas for new taxes. “The three areas I support are the gasoline tax to pay for roads and mitigation of climate change, a cruise passenger impact tax to fix the Port Chilkoot Dock, and I think we should look at severance taxes, because once we remove mineral wealth it’s gone forever,” he said. Mayoral candidate Jan Hill who was not in attendance but submitted written answers that were read aloud, had an opposite approach. “This is not the time to raise taxes or create new ones, we need to learn to live within our means,” she wrote.

While other candidates have vocalized their support for severance taxes in the past, at this forum they took a more conservative stance and expressed the need to evaluate current taxes before taking any further action.

“I would not like to see tax increases or new taxes. I’d rather see us be more financially responsible with our spending,” said assembly candidate Craig Loomis, who was not in attendance but submitted written answers that were read out loud. Lapham agreed. “We cannot tax our way to prosperity,” she said.

When it came to audience questions, someone asked why the borough claims it doesn’t have enough money when it has one of the largest fund balances in the state. Candidates explained that its permanent fund balance is Haines’ rainy day fund, and all candidates took a fiscally conservative stance and erred on the side of saving rather than spending. “It’s a policy call,” said Morphet.

As the forum came to a close, candidates were given a chance to make a closing statement to Haines residents as they wrapped up their campaigns.

Dawson: “When I think about what I would consider success of you voting me in as a borough assembly member is that in three years, if I was elected to a three year term, that there would be more young people, more people in general running for borough assembly seats, because they would feel like we had an accessible, energetic, creative and transparent government.”

Lapham: “You, the residents of Haines, have the power to decide what your government is and who is going to be part of your government. You need to get out and vote. Voting is a core right for the American people. Elections have been won or lost by one or two votes. Use your right to vote and please get out and vote October 3rd, whoever you vote for.”

Lapp: “Get out and vote, because this is your community, and the shape of the community is going to be decided by the voters of this community. I know I’ve always been committed to the community and I’ve always tried to help build this community. I’m trying to keep jobs here for our young people, and I’m trying to get more families to Haines so they can live here and enjoy this small town here.”

Morphet: “I’m not afraid of new ideas, and I hope that the borough is not as well. If I succeed as Mayor, and we can bring some more civility, transparency, accountability, participation from the public, maybe next time around we’ll have even better candidates. The town is amazing and has grown by leaps in terms of what it does. I think the government has to match what’s happening in the private sector and the nonprofit sector in this town.”

Forster: “Thanks for giving us your time and consideration. If I were elected and looking back on my term, I’d like to think that we made it feel more accessible to the public. I’d like to feel like it’s more possible for working families to be involved in our local government, and I’d like to find some compromise through ideological battles so we can have enough bandwidth at the borough level to at least start talking about some of the really cool and innovative stuff that’s already been outlined in our comprehensive plan.”