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.
The new Haines Borough Assembly has an uphill battle to restore trust. The last Assembly was so incompetent and the turnover at the Borough office was so high, that I cannot envision a functioning government in Haines for some time. Good luck to the new Assembly members.
The prior assembly spent 2years trying to get the train back on the track. This incident shows how hard it is to move forward when previous assemblies do not listen to the community. Now, with the latest election, we have again been derailed.
We are having issues in the City of Delta Junction and our council refuses to act on the horrendous actions of our City Administrator. Our City Administrator has been over stepping her professional bounds by taking actions not authorized by the council. Lies told to the council who absolutely refuses to pay attention. Even blatant false attacks upon community members. Harassing City employees and threatening to fire them if they dont “toe her line”. No one listens and now a situation is developing here just like in Palmer, Alaska where they just had to cut ties with their City Administrator for the same reasons ! Trouble is brewing all across Alaska with local governments are asleep at the wheel. Kudos to Haines for nipping a problem in the bud immediately before legal problems develop.
“Trouble is brewing all across Alaska with local governments are asleep at the wheel.” You have that right. After our botched election, add Houston to the list.
Is this happening in every city in Alaska now? It is starting to sound like a reoccurring theme. Are we now starting to see the weasels that slipped into the government?
AS the borough turns……the more things change, the more they stay the same. Stay tuned….
“Elke Doom”??? Was Marvel Comics involved in this?
Dillingham is grappling with serious dysfunction. Recently, the Acting City Manager’s attempt to file a restraining order against a former City Council member was denied, and that same council member harassed the Planning Manager until she resigned (case 3DI-24-00049CI Decker, Dan vs. Buholm, Aksel MAA). The city is facing potential lawsuits, a frequent setback for small communities like this, making it hard to move forward. Well-intentioned community members often join the council only to find themselves working with power hungry managers, stalling progress and wasting valuable resources. Meanwhile, the unqualified Acting City Manager has delayed recruiting efforts for a permanent replacement, maintaining his $130K salary and prolonging the chaos.