By BRENDA JOSEPHSON
The Haines Borough Assembly unanimously terminated Kristine Kennedy from her position as Borough Clerk after just 11 weeks of employment. Her discharge occurred on Oct. 22.
Although the vote was unanimous, three newly elected assembly members were required to act on the challenging agenda item titled, “Discuss Borough Clerk’s Employment Status” within hours of assuming office.
The Haines Borough Code designates the Borough Clerk as a municipal officer who directly reports to the Assembly, thereby subjecting her employment status to the Assembly’s decision. Kennedy declined the option to have her employment status discussed in public, yielding to the preference of the Assembly. After voting to have an executive session to consider the personnel issue, the Assembly convened behind closed doors for approximately an hour. Then, the Assembly voted to terminate the clerk without cause after the executive session, effective the next day, Oct. 23 .
Mayor Tom Morphet indicated after the meeting that he was aware of turmoil in the borough office and acknowledged that people had told him he needed to act, but he considered, “It was not my place to intercede.” Morphet also indicated that his interactions with the clerk were “respectful and professional” and that if she had different relationships with others, he “did not feel it was my place to get involved in office politics.”
However, the conflicts escalated in the last week, and he witnessed a heated exchange between the Borough Clerk and the Borough Manager in the office, leading him to believe that the assembly should address the issue.
“It was a difficult position to be in for our first meeting after being newly elected, but our role as assembly members requires us to address personnel issues with borough officers. It was not comfortable,” commented Assembly Member Cheryl Stickler.
Assembly Member Gabe Thomas acknowledged the challenging timing of the personnel item on the agenda but stated that the issue “needed to be addressed sooner rather than later for the best interests of the borough and the clerk.”
According to Borough Manager Elke Doom, Kennedy was still in her employment probationary period, and her termination without cause will not result in a contract payout.
Brenda Josephson is a Haines resident. She is co-author of the white paper Restoring Public
Trust.
