Understanding All the Law

Haines Alaska News: Viewpoints
September 22, 2011, Thursday

UNDERSTANDING ALL THE LAW
I spoke with Mr. Hamburg at C&RA  Monday, and he confirmed my understanding that the vacancy-filling provision of state law (Title 29) does NOT apply to Haines, because we are a home rule municipality.  Only Haines Charter and Code apply.

And I DID speak up long ago: at the July 26 assembly meeting, I gave the manager a memo for the borough attorney setting out my analysis that the Charter provision (“attempt”) applies.  The manager only recently asked Mr. Chandler to review the memo; he is doing so now.

Whatever the attorney concludes, it seems clear that there is at least a good faith argument that the assembly’s action complied Haines’ rules.  These folks work hard; lets not recall them over such a silly point.  They (along with Jerry Lapp and Scott Rossman, who voted the same way) deserve our thanks.

Deborah Vogt

Received September 12, 2011 / Posted September 13, 2011
Viewpoints letters are the opinion of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the Haines Alaska News.