Public referenda, goal-setting sessions, office hours and reinvigorated committees – those are a handful of proposals a new slate of assembly members have tossed out as they take office. New assembly members Craig Loomis, Natalie Dawson and Kevin Forster – plus new Mayor Tom Morphet – say their election represents Haines’ desire for more transparency and accountability […]
Search results
Oct. 10 Assembly Briefs
Election results certified Official election results were announced at Tuesday’s assembly meeting after 19 absentee, question and special needs ballots were counted. Of the total 2,431 registered voters, 1,176 ballots were cast, a 48% voter turnout. About 60% of voters cast ballots on election day while 32% voted early. The final tally of votes saw […]
Progressive candidates poised for elections sweep
Younger and more progressive candidates are poised to sweep the open seats in the assembly, mayoral and planning commission elections in Haines, held on Tuesday. “I think there’s a dissatisfaction in the general population about how the government has been operating,” said Tom Morphet, who won the mayoral race with about 53% of the vote. […]
Experience is not always an asset
Incumbent candidates point to their experience as a central reason to be reelected. But what has been the community’s experience over the last few years? The Lutak Dock hasn’t been properly maintained. The neglected sewage treatment plant is still out of compliance. The Public Safety Building is rotting. The expanded harbor still has no new […]
Concerns about undue noise dominate Mosquito Lake forum
Concerns about undue noise drew the strongest interest from viewers during the second public candidate forum, held in the upper valley Sunday night. All five assembly candidates and one mayoral candidate faced questions from the audience and from host Mike Denker on topics including natural resources, taxes and undue noise at the Four Winds Resource […]
Planning commission candidate profiles
For the first time in Haines’ history, the planning commission will be elected by the people instead of appointed by the Mayor. Residents voted on the ballot proposition for an elected planning commission during a special election in June, where it passed 445 to 248, a 64% margin. Despite concerns that not enough people will run […]
Planning commission needs you
If you have the following qualifications, please consider running for a seat on the borough planning commission in the October election. •You care about this community and its future. •You are willing to learn. There are basic principles of planning that must be followed, and you will have to become familiar with Title 18 of […]
14 seats open in October election, with few candidates so far
With 14 open seats, the upcoming general municipal election in Haines could be one of the most consequential in the town. The candidate filing period started Aug. 1, and ends Aug. 20. But so far, only one candidate has filed for office and has their declaration of candidacy certified by the borough, leading some to […]
Manager’s accusations are inappropriate
I was surprised to learn from reading the latest copy of CVN that Haines Borough manager Annette Kreitzer was publicly accusing me of trespass. According to the “Heliport decision under scrutiny” story in the July 6 edition, Kreitzer claimed she could not use a photo I took showing illegal heavy equipment construction work on George Campbell’s property […]
Contamination discovered at Second Avenue gas station
The state says there is no immediate risk to public health after workers found contaminated soil late last month while removing an underground storage tank at the defunct Second Avenue gas station near downtown Haines. But the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) said it could take until the middle of the month before they […]
