Neither the state district attorney nor the Haines Borough will investigate a complaint that the assembly acted improperly when it voted against seating former assembly member Diana Lapham on the borough’s Port and Harbor Advisory Committee. A complaint authored by residents Don Turner Jr. and Terry Pardee and signed by 15 residents was received by the borough […]
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Posted inNews, Haines Borough
Assembly takes up taxes, cuts
Haines Borough Assembly members voiced support for reducing or eliminating dedication of sales taxes, and pursuing new alcohol, tobacco and marijuana taxes during a workshop Tuesday aimed at providing direction to staff developing next year’s budget. There was also support voiced for a severance tax and for billing insurance for ambulance calls. But the meeting […]
Posted inNews
Lapham complaint heads to DA
Fifteen Haines residents recently filed a complaint with the Haines Borough on behalf of Diana Lapham, who applied for, but wasn’t appointed to the borough’s Ports and Harbor Advisory Committee. The complaint, put together by Don Turner Jr. and Terry Pardee, says that during the Jan. 10 regular assembly meeting, Lapham’s rights were violated. The complaint, along […]
Posted inNews
Assembly extends lobbyist’s hire
The Haines Borough Assembly voted Tuesday to keep lobbyist Bill Thomas on the job until June, to advertise for a permanent borough manager in Alaska only and to award a $71,000 marine mammal monitoring contract to proHNS, a local engineering firm. Thomas, 69, is a commercial fisherman and former state legislator who worked last year as borough lobbyist for […]
Posted inNews
Appointment of Lapham rejected
The Haines Borough Assembly last week rejected appointment of former assembly member Diana Lapham to the borough’s Ports and Harbor Advisory Committee on a 4-2 vote. The appointment was one of several Mayor Jan Hill recommended to the borough’s various advisory boards and councils. Assembly member Heather Lende asked for Lapham’s name to be removed from a list, along with […]
Posted inLetters to the Editor
Seward’s dismissal was warranted
I believe that the incident in which manager Bill Seward advised a company to fire an individual (Gershon Cohen) or risk not receiving a borough contract to be unethical to the degree that his release from his position was warranted. When I initially read of this I thought that there must be a law that […]
Posted inNews
Facilities chief Ryan is interim manager
Haines Borough Facilities Director Brad Ryan is once again interim manager. Mayor Jan Hill broke a 3-3 assembly deadlock Tuesday, giving Ryan the position left vacant following the Dec. 14 firing of manager Bill Seward. Assembly members Margaret Friedenauer, Mike Case and Ron Jackson supported Ryan, who served six months as interim manager last year. Members Tresham […]
Posted inNews
Seward weighs lawsuit; recall effort in works
Bill Seward, who was fired as Haines Borough manager in an emotional assembly 4-2 vote last week, is pursuing legal action against the borough for wrongful termination. A U.S. Coast Guard veteran with no municipal experience when he was hired in May, Seward on Tuesday hired Isaac Zorea, an Anchorage-based employment law attorney with 16 years’ experience. […]
Posted inNews
Year in Review: Art, public projects dominated Haines news
Advances in the arts and public projects marked much of the news in 2016, and combined, for some novel exchanges. At a Sept. 8 Haines Borough Planning Commission meeting dominated by critics of the proposed harbor expansion project, commission chair Rob Goldberg suggested a 630-foot steel wall breakwater planned for Portage Cove might someday be an attraction. […]
Posted inNews
Assembly sets priorities at retreat
The Haines Borough Assembly met on Dec. 11 for a four-hour retreat at the public library to outline what members believed were their biggest priorities. Crafting a workable budget for the upcoming fiscal year and better assembly member communication – with both the public and each other – topped their ranking. Haines Mayor Jan Hill also took part in the […]