The Haines Borough Administration building. (Emily Files)

The Haines Borough Administration building. (Emily Files)

The Haines Borough Assembly personnel committee will meet this weekend to talk about what process to follow in hiring the next borough manager.

The assembly decided to post a job advertisement statewide. That posting will close March 3. There are two local residents who have said they are interested in the position – Interim Manager Brad Ryan and Debra Schnabel.

Around this time last year, the assembly was going through the manager hiring process. They contracted with recruitment firm Brimeyer Fursman, which did much of the legwork, such as screening candidates and initial interviews.

Through that process, the assembly hired Bill Seward, a Coast Guard veteran who is from Alaska. But Seward’s time as manager didn’t last long. The assembly voted 4-2 to fire Seward after just six months.

The assembly also used Brimeyer Fursman to hire its current police chief, Heath Scott. Scott’s wife, Candice Mustard-Scott, spoke at Tuesday’s assembly meeting.

“I want to know what you’re going to do different,” Mustard-Scott said. “How that process is going to be different as opposed to what it was, when I felt really trustworthy of that process that took place when Heath was hired, and Bill. I just want to know how you guys feel like it’s going to be different to ensure the stability of an environment that we all want to succeed.”

Turnover has plagued the manager job in recent years.

Assembly member Margaret Friedenauer said she reached out to the person who ran Juneau’s most recent manager recruitment, former HR director Mila Cosgrove.

“She did note that one of the important things to do is to set your criteria and your questions before the job really even closes,” Friedenauer said.

Last year’s hiring process for manager and police chief included surveys of residents, in-person public interviews and community meet-and-greets with the finalists.

Friedenauer said Cosgrove noted that Juneau’s assembly held all interviews behind closed doors.

The personnel committee meets Saturday at 1 p.m. at the library.