The filing period for Haines Borough municipal election closed today, with the following folks who have filed as candidates: Read more->
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HAINES–The Haines Borough Clerk has issued recall petitions for Haines Borough Assembly members Daymond Hoffman and Joanne Waterman, but rejected the application for a recall petition for Steve Vick based on advice from the Haines Borough Attorney. Read more->
HAINES–A groundswell of dissatisfaction with the performance of the Haines Borough Assembly reached a crescendo Friday when three applications for recall against assembly members Daymond Hoffman, Steve Vick and Joanne Waterman were filed with borough clerk Julie Cozzi. Read more->
For obvious reasons, it would make sense to appoint Karen Hess to the vacant seat until the October election, however three assembly members are politically opposed to seating Hess, offering to seat nearly any other member of the public instead. Members Rossman and Lapp stood steadfastly behind Hess. When the Assembly decided they were deadlocked and there was no way forward, they “compromised” by agreeing not to fill that seat until the October election. In reality, this was no compromise at all — just an agreement to shirk their duty to Haines voters by not doing the job required by law. Read more->
 Karen Hess Last Monday’s Haines Borough Assembly special meeting made a mockery of our election ordinances, the will of the voters, the rule of law, the authority of the superior court, and common decency. Most of the public present favored seating Karen Hess in the vacant assembly Seat “E”, including assembly members Scott Rossman and Jerry Lapp. But in a clearly partisan move, members Daymond Hoffman, Joanne Waterman and Steve Vick refused to seat Hess, offering instead to seat almost any other member of the public. Their actions mirrored those at last fall’s assembly meeting in which they voted to seat Greg Goodman in spite of his residency issues: the three obviously arrived prepared not to seat Hess under any circumstances, and then groped in vain for facts and logic that would justify their actions. Half of the audience walked out before the meeting was over, and comments by some caused a couple of assembly members to complain about being called “spineless,” and “prejudiced” by the public. Read more-> Surveys can be skewed intentionally or unintentionally. Sometimes, despite the best of intentions the choice of questions, the wording of survey questions, even the order in which they are asked, will lead respondents to choose one answer over another. That’s why folks who use the results need to weigh the results and act accordingly.  Barbara Sheinberg, AICP, Sheinberg Associates A community survey designed to measure public opinions about the present quality of life and future development in Haines was presented last Friday, June 3, 2011 to a town hall-type meeting by Barbara Sheinberg, the consultant who is assisting the Haines Borough with a re-write of the borough’s comprehensive plan. The Town Meeting at Harriet Hall (Southeast Alaska Fair Grounds) from 5:00 to 7:00 is one of the first steps in updating the Haines Borough comprehensive plan — the “roadmap” that will direct future development in Haines. Read more-> When the Alaska Superior court ruled against the Haines Borough Assembly in the Karen Hess case, it was a wakeup call–not only to the assembly–but to every citizen in Haines who values the rule of law over political partisanship. Now that the assembly has egg on its face, and has needlessly blown a huge chunk of our tax money on legal expenses, they’ve been given the opportunity to make things right. Read more-> HAINES–The Haines Borough Assembly met in executive session Tuesday evening to discuss the Hess vs. Haines Borough case. Upon returning to regular session, the assembly passed a motion to follow the borough attorney’s advice and appoint a person to the Assembly seat “E” until the regular borough election in October. Read more-> In a small town with an addiction to meetings, planning groups, arguments, and folks trying to tell others what they can and can’t do, one man’s persistence has brightened the streets with nearly one hundred newly planted apple trees.
HAINES–Last year, when Haines resident Joe Poor learned that Juneau’s Costco store had a surplus of apple trees they were about to destroy, he thought of Haines. With folks talking about economic development, wringing their hands about vacant storefronts, and the general appearance of the town declining, he thought perhaps a few apple trees might just improve things. Read more->
The Juneau Superior Court has ordered that Assembly Seat “E” be declared vacant, and that a special election be ordered to fill the vacancy. But borough code makes compliance with the court order difficult, at best. Read more->
 The nearly-complete public restroom at the Port Chilkoot dock. The Port Chilkoot dock improvement project is on schedule, according to project manager Ralph Vigilante. However the colder than usual winter with little snow cover has left a frozen layer underground that could affect the ability to lay down concrete and asphalt as planned. “The ground has thawed down to about 30 inches under the surface,” reported Vigilante, “But there’s ice from there down to about 64 inches. Normally, we would start pouring concrete and paving next week, but with the ground still frozen we may have to hold off.”  Barbara Sheinberg, AICP, Sheinberg Associates “We want Haines people to be excited about the upcoming survey regarding the comprehensive plan,” said Barbara Sheinberg at a Haines Planning Commission Meeting last month. A comprehensive plan is a blueprint for how the community wants to grow over the next 20 years and the path to get there. Specific action points are included, as well, and even identifying whose job it is. It’s meant to be used. It takes about one year to do an update like this very well. Read more->
JUNEAU–A special meeting of the City and Borough of Juneau Assembly is scheduled for today (Thursday) to take up the pending reapportionment of Alaska’s election districts. According to a news report from KINY radio, Juneau falls about 4500 people short of filling two legislative districts with the average of 17,700 people. That means Juneau would have to reach outside the current district boundaries to constitute a normal legislative district. At the Haines Borough Assembly meeting last Tuesday evening, the assembly unanimously passed resolution 11-03-267 “calling on the State of Alaska Redistricting Board to maintain the Haines Borough in a House district that is ‘a relatively integrated socio-economic area’ and not a part of the City and Borough of Juneau.” Read more->  Present Southeast Alaska Legislative Districts, established in 2001. by Robert Venables HAINES–Twenty-six days and counting. The ticking of the redistricting clock is an ominous reminder that District 5’s days are numbered in southeast. Census data was provided to the state this week and puts Alaska’s total population at 710,231, up from 626,920 in 2000. The board will divide the total population by 40 legislative districts with each new district based as close as possible to the target population of 17,755 residents. This will result in significant changes for Southeast Alaska and the rural Interior. Read more-> SKAGWAY–At a joint Haines and Skagway Borough Assembly work group meeting Monday evening, members of both bodies discussed subjects of mutual interest, including upper Lynn Canal port development, tourism, the shuttle ferry service, hydropower and the Skagway-Haines energy intertie. Though the meeting only lasted a little over an hour, there was general agreement that it was a good start toward the two boroughs working together for mutual benefit. Read more->  Haines power consumption: Hydro vs. Diesel HAINES–Monday’s joint meeting between the Haines and Skagway borough assemblies underscored a number of issues of mutual concern. Among the most important is just how tenuous is our source of reasonably-priced electrical power. Presently, Haines receives nearly 100% of its power from hydro projects in or near Skagway. The day the Haines-Skagway undersea cable fails, all of this power will have to be generated by the diesel-fired power plant in Haines. Read more->  Mayor Jan Hill (left) and Master Municipal Clerk Julie Cozzi display the MMC certification plaque that now hangs in Cozzi's office. Haines Borough Clerk Julie Cozzi has received the highest certification from the International Institute of Municipal Clerks (IIMC), “Master Municipal Clerk (MMC).” Haines Mayor Jan Hill presented the certification plaque to Ms. Cozzi in front of a packed assembly chambers last night saying, “Eight years ago Julie Cozzi came to work for Haines Borough. She has worked very hard, particularly in her professional development. Read more-> At their 6:30 p.m. meeting on Tuesday, February 22, The Haines Borough Assembly meeting will consider the proposed heli-ski ordinance, among other issues. The last Assembly meeting resulted in the proposed heli-ski ordinance being held over for a fourth hearing. According the Haines Borough web site, it will be recommended that the Assembly again hold the issue over to a fifth hearing. Meanwhile, the ski season has begun, with SEABA and others working under the old (illegal) ordinance while trying to comply with the direction of the present Heli-ski working group–not an enviable position. To read the latest version of the proposed heli-ski ordinance and other issues, go to the Haines Borough Website.
The following comments are presented as a service so our readers can stay informed on local current events, and do not constitute the minutes or official record of any meeting. Meeting minutes, agenda, and other documents are available at the Haines Borough web site.  Official Ray Chapin is ready to get the game started Friday and Saturday belonged to the Lady Glacier Bears at the hometown gym. The visiting Metlakatla Miss Chiefs brought only a varsity team to town and did not present too much of a challenge for Haines on their home court. Haines outscored Metlakatla 66-24 on Friday night and 59-40 on Saturday. |
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