Following 40 minutes of closed-door discussion, the Haines Borough Assembly voted unanimously Tuesday to accept a “negotiated separation agreement” with police chief Gary Lowe. Borough leaders – including assembly members, Mayor Stephanie Scott and manager Mark Earnest – this week refused to comment on the specifics of the agreement, saying those would be revealed Tuesday. Joanne Waterman called for an executive session to discuss […]
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Assembly plans overnight trip to Skagway
Haines Borough staff and assembly members are planning an overnight trip to Skagway April 26-27 to meet with regional leaders to discuss mutual economic and transportation issues. The Skagway Borough Assembly, Juneau Borough Assembly, and Whitehorse City Council also are expected to attend the event, which was initiated by Juneau Mayor Merrill Sanford, clerk Julie Cozzi said […]
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Lowe put on leave; hearing planned
Haines Borough manager Mark Earnest placed police chief Gary Lowe on paid administrative leave Tuesday, making Sgt. Simon Ford acting chief. The assembly voted unanimously Tuesday night to “as soon as possible, hire a hearing officer to facilitate an internal investigation into the complaints against the police chief and his abilities to perform his duties and supervise the police […]
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Former bear monitor rejected for tour permit
The Haines Borough Assembly denied a request Tuesday from former bear monitor Shannon Donahue to begin small-scale bear-viewing tours along the Chilkoot River. The assembly split 3-3 on the decision to deny the permit proposed by Donahue. Assembly members Joanne Waterman, Steve Vick and Jerry Lapp voted to award the permit; Debra Schnabel, Dave Berry and Norm Smith were opposed. Mayor Stephanie Scott broke the tie with […]
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Union: Complaint mishandled
The union representative of Haines Borough workers this week said manager Mark Earnest has been “out of line” and not compliant with procedure in dealing with an employee complaint against police chief Gary Lowe. Though he received a formal complaint against Lowe on Feb. 19, Earnest did not contact the complainant until Tuesday to provide an explanation of how the […]
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‘Corrective action’ for Lowe
The Haines Borough Assembly directed the manager during a March 12 special meeting to “apply corrective action” to address the assembly’s concerns about police chief Gary Lowe’s behavior during a March 5 assembly meeting. “Appropriate public comments in dealing with personnel matters” and “appreciation for a respectful relationship between law enforcement and the media” were the two […]
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Special meeting on Lowe Friday
Haines Borough Assembly members have called a special meeting to be held 5:30 p.m. Friday to discuss police chief Gary Lowe’s actions during the March 5 assembly meeting. Members Joanne Waterman, Jerry Lapp and Debra Schnabel made a written request for the special meeting Wednesday afternoon. Code requires requests from three assembly members for the scheduling of a special meeting. […]
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Consultant option floated
Attached to Haines Borough manager Mark Earnest’s police department report to assembly members Tuesday was a proposal from a private consulting firm to evaluate the department at a $9,500 retainer fee. According to the proposal, Soldotna-based Russell Consulting, LLC, would conduct an investigation “to identify facts that will allow the Haines Borough Police Department to improve the efficiency and […]
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Manager reports on police chief
Haines Borough manager Mark Earnest reported Tuesday the results of his investigation into complaints made from within the police department against chief Gary Lowe. Earnest told the assembly he received a complaint from an employee within the department and subsequently conducted multiple interviews with officers and dispatch personnel to investigate. The interviews yielded “suggestions, ideas and concerns” […]
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Borough reviews not done
Although required to by code, Haines Borough Manager Mark Earnest has not provided for evaluations of employees since starting on the job three years ago. As manager, Earnest serves as the borough’s personnel director. He is responsible for supervising and evaluating about a dozen of the municipality’s upper-level employees, including department heads and three borough “officers”: police chief Gary Lowe, […]