Members of the Ports and Harbors Advisory Committee have been using their individual seats for personal attacks against members of the public and prior assembly members, as evidenced in the Oct. 31, 2024 meeting. These same two individuals routinely spread misinformation about the Lutak Dock issue to perpetuate an unaffordable project when they should be using their positions of power to investigate financially real alternatives. I respectfully request that these individuals recognize that they can no longer separate personal from professional grievances and remove themselves from these seats, or that the Haines Borough mayor remove individuals who use their publicly appointed positions to intentionally spread harmful disinformation and lies.
Guess what – community perspectives and needs are way more diverse than in the 1980s. We talk about wanting to encourage young people to stay here and to inspire creative and hard-working people to move here, and that begins by illustrating as a community that we can have healthy, honest, difficult and engaging dialogue without personally attacking each other in the name of protecting private interests over public good. Get over yourself and do the hard work of representing the public, or, don’t sit on that committee. Let someone who is willing to work hard on compromising solutions sit in the seat. Use your new free time, not on a committee, to go for healing walks along the river. I will go with you if you need a buddy.
Natalie Dawson