A regional economic development organization is asking the Haines Borough and other communities for money toward crafting a 25-year plan for a sustainable ferry system, but some are skeptical about whether the state is serious about committing to reforms. Gov. Bill Walker recently signed a memorandum of understanding with Southeast Conference to draft a long-term plan for […]
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Washington, D.C. cop offered job as chief
The Haines Borough Assembly emerged Tuesday from a 45-minute closed-door session to confirm interim manager Brad Ryan’s decision to negotiate a police chief contract with Heath Scott, deputy chief of the District of Columbia Protective Services firm in Washington, D.C. Neither Ryan nor assembly members provided any public explanation for the decision at Tuesday’s assembly meeting. In […]
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VanSpronsen forfeits police badge
Former Alaska Wildlife Trooper and Haines Borough Police Department officer Ken VanSpronsen has become the fifth Haines law enforcement officer in five years to lose state certification or be convicted of a criminal charge. The Alaska Police Standards Council, a statewide police oversight agency, opened a case against VanSpronsen on July 2 after his separation from the […]
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Plainclothes officer to walk grounds during Beer Fest
Haines Borough interim police chief Josh Dryden said he has been getting flack for his decision to station an officer in street clothes at this year’s Beer Fest, but he won’t change his mind. “I’m not trying to trick anybody and I don’t care if people think it’s fair (or not). If this tactic helps […]
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Assembly defeats attempt to terminate lobbyist contract
A Haines Borough Assembly member on Tuesday made a move to terminate Bill Thomas’s lobbyist contract, but other members weren’t on board with the plan. Assembly member Ron Jackson wanted to direct interim manager Brad Ryan to work with the borough attorney to clarify the $45,000 contract’s termination clause and, if possible, end the contract effective June […]
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End draws near for ‘The Swamp’
A Haines Borough Assembly member on Tuesday made a move to terminate Bill Thomas’s lobbyist contract, but other members weren’t on board with the plan. Assembly member Ron Jackson wanted to direct interim manager Brad Ryan to work with the borough attorney to clarify the $45,000 contract’s termination clause and, if possible, end the contract effective June […]
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Borough receives key Corps permit
The Small Boat Harbor expansion project cleared a major hurdle this week, with the Haines Borough receiving the Army Corps of Engineers 408 permit it has been pursuing since October. The permit is a new requirement for any structure tying into an existing Army Corps project. The harbor expansion requires the permit because the project’s sheet-pile wave […]
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Assembly chooses Coast Guardsman as manager
The Haines Borough Assembly bucked the staff’s choice for manager on Saturday, voting 4-2 to offer the job to Coast Guard veteran William Seward over Mark Karet, a planner and development director with more than two decades of municipal experience. Three groups – one comprised of assembly members, one of department heads and one of citizens – […]
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Thomas says lobbyist pay was for work during session
Lobbyist Bill Thomas said in an interview last week his $45,000 pay covers only a 90-day session of the Alaska Legislature, although he may keep in contact with legislators and speak to them at other times during the year. “If you think I’m going to sit in an office all year for $45,000, well excuse me,” Thomas […]
Posted inNews, Haines Borough
Assembly rejects proposed changes to draft budget
After an hour of discussion and nearly a half-dozen failed motions, the Haines Borough Assembly voted to change only one budget item during the spending plan’s first public hearing last week. The group unanimously approved keeping the deputy clerk position at full-time, whereas interim manager Brad Ryan’s draft budget had called for cutting the job to half-time […]