It’s out with the old and in with the new as 2025 approaches. Skagway said goodbye to its borough manager at their last assembly meeting while Haines welcomed its new interim manager.
Haines Mayor Tom Morphet passed out Santa hats at the Dec. 17 Haines Borough Assembly meeting. For a few minutes, the body donned the festive apparel before carrying on with business. Part of that business was approving Interim Manager Alekka Fullerton’s contract.
Fullerton is an attorney and has served previously as interim borough manager. Up until last Tuesday, Fullerton was employed at Dispatch. Previous to that, she was borough clerk but resigned this spring.
In her letter of resignation, she wrote that she “cannot take the lack of respect for staff or staff’s work any longer.” In an interview with the Chilkat Valley News, Fullerton expressed discontent with comments and decisions made by the then-assembly and Planning Commission.
Fullerton was floated as a candidate for the interim position at a Committee of the Whole on Dec. 5 and was quickly agreed upon by assembly members. Mayor Tom Morphet addressed the process.
“There was a question of whether we needed to advertise this as we typically advertise openings and positions,” Morphet said. “It’s the opinion of Miss Fullerton that this is not a position that’s in code, so it doesn’t fall under the advertising requirement.”
Fullerton will earn a yearly salary of $155,000 with the benefits of a non-probationary employee. Her contract does not have an end date but she will be evaluated after six months. If Fullerton is terminated without cause, she will be compensated three month’s salary.
Fullerton expects to occasionally help at dispatch while two new employees are trained. Because her husband is the acting police chief, questions about the police budget and department supervision will appear before the Personnel Committee in January.
In Skagway, Borough Manager Brad Ryan was gifted a key to the municipality after serving five years. Ryan led the borough through COVID-19. That was quickly followed by a rockslide that threatened to shut down two of Skagway’s docks just as the town was recovering. Ryan also helped negotiate return of port control after the 55-year lease with White Pass ended and oversaw the installation of a new Ore Dock.
Former Mayor Andrew Cremata worked with four borough managers before Ryan came to town. Cremata praised the outgoing manager.
“He fostered a culture of transparency and accountability,” Cremata said. “That is because of maintaining the highest ethical standards that one can possibly maintain. I saw the morale of this organization increase, and I know the hard work that Manager Ryan did over his tenure.”
A key isn’t the only thing Ryan takes with him when he moves onto his new position at Alaska SeaLife Center in Seward.
“My second biggest accomplishment here in Skagway is finally getting a cool Skagway nickname,” Ryan said. “It took a long time, but we got there.”
That nickname is “Putin,” given to Ryan by Skagway’s oldest resident, Mavis Hendricksen, who often yelled at Ryan during public comment. They parted amicably.
“Mavis wanted one last meeting with me about three weeks ago,” Ryan said. “I was a little nervous, because she doesn’t appear to be my biggest fan. …She was almost incredulous that people thought she hated me. She’s like, ‘I think you’re my friend. You’re one of my few friends in town. You’re one of the smartest people I know. Terrible manager, but smart.’”
Ryan said his biggest accomplishment is the “generational change” of giving Skagway Port back to the municipality.
“I have not been in a small community in Alaska that’s wanted to take control of their financial security like Skagway,” he said. “You can go to lots of communities around Alaska and see, you know, hundreds of millions of dollars of salmon running through them. And the town is in terrible shape because they don’t take control. They don’t take charge of what their biggest industry is in town. So, I’m very proud of that, and very proud Skagway stuck to it.”
Assembly member Deb Potter organized the tribute to Ryan, and a few puns.
“One might say he was very successful in Putin structures in place that have resulted in the high level of professionalism among staff across all the departments that can be seen as far away as Russia,” she said. “Thank you, Manager Ryan, for everything that you’ve done.”
Haines will hold their next assembly meeting on Jan. 14. Skagway’s meeting is scheduled for Jan. 16.
