Members of the Haines Borough Planning Commission on Thursday appointed Nathanael Reams to fill a vacant seat on the commission.
The seat was vacated by Eben Sargent, who resigned from the planning commission after being elected to the borough assembly in this month’s municipal election.
Sargent had two years remaining in his planning commission term, but Reams will serve only until the municipal election next year. Whoever wins the seat in that election will serve the remaining year on the term.
There was some ambiguity about how the planning commission would fill Sargent’s seat. Borough code says the planning commission holds the power to fill the vacancy, but doesn’t specify how they should do so.
At last week’s planning commission meeting, members settled on taking the third-highest vote getter for the two open planning commission seats in this month’s election, which was Reams.
The other option discussed for filling the seat was soliciting letters of interest from the general public — beyond just candidates in the recent election. But commissioners, including Jerry Lapp and Erika Merklin, said running for office showed genuine interest.
“These other people put in the effort of running for office,” Lapp said.
Commissioner Rachel Saitzyk added that she felt “the public had spoken” through their votes.
Reams, a geological engineer who moved to Haines in 2023, will be holding public office for the first time. During the lead-up to the election, Reams described his professional experience in code compliance, project management, and contract review as a potential asset to the commission.
Reams said he quickly accepted the commission’s offer, though he was unsure when he would be sworn in. He said it was a surprise to ultimately be seated, after initially thinking he had come up short in the election. And, he added, the one-year term is a welcome way to try out the role, with the normal three-year term feeling “a little long.”
“It’s a cool opportunity to feel a little more connected to the community,” Reams said.