Free speech was on full display during the Feb. 13 Haines Borough Assembly meeting. For 3.25 hours, your mayor and assembly covered soup to nuts: snow-plowing, roof repairs, Port Chilkoot floating dock, truck noise, BLM lands and an upcoming committee of the whole meeting on the new Board of Equalization, Lutak Dock and much more. Numerous individuals exercised their right to free speech, some several times. The first amendment right of Haines residents is—in fact—being protected by Haines Borough, as it was under the former assembly and mayor, Douglas Olerud.
Sure, we have substantive disagreements, but please applaud the week-to-week effort, way-finding, and spirit of our assemblies. Many current members are on the young-ish side with sharp minds, horsepower, fresh eyes, and concerns that differ from their predecessors. Our elder, more seasoned, members also provide crucial insights. At the Feb. 13 assembly meeting, I observed a fine mash-up of depth, insight, decision-making, and generous public participation.
We enjoy numerous local venues to speak freely: public meetings run in compliance with law, public radio, a newspaper with generous guidelines, the sidewalk, and a tragically unruly, 400-pound, adolescent gorilla—the internet. It is ironic that the rising tide of information and speech, made possible through digital technology, requires more skilled human beings standing ready at the end of the “fire- hose.” When it overflows, and someone’s “speech” falls through the cracks, the only solution seems to be even more technology—and more spending on administrative staff. Haines offers gobs of opportunity to “speak” on matters of public concern.
Burl Sheldon