Heather Lende, Tom Morphet and Tresham Gregg are targeted in the recall effort. (KHNS photos)
A group of Haines residents is trying to recall half of the borough assembly, including the two newest members.
Resident Don Turner Jr., along with nine other people, signed three requests for recall petitions. They accuse Assembly members Tom Morphet, Heather Lende and Tresham Gregg of misconduct in office.
Turner publically threatened a recall petition for Morphet after the assembly voted 4-2 to fire former manager Bill Seward in December.
“I blame you Tom, for that – you don’t want to try,” Turner said at the time. “You’re one way about stuff. I am, tomorrow, going to start trying to terminate your job. I’m going to get a recall petition out and see if I can’t terminate your job. Because I think you are not doing the public a service.”
The manager termination decision is not cited in the recall requests. Rather, Turner, who is the main sponsor on the applications, lists a few other incidents he says amount to misconduct in office.
Turner points to an email from Police Chief Heath Scott that he says references Assembly members Lende and Morphet requesting the police department provide the blotter. Turner alleges that this is coercion of a subordinate and an attempt by Morphet and Lende to affect their personal or financial interests. Morphet is the publisher of the Chilkat Valley News and Lende writes obituaries for the paper. Turner implies they stand to benefit from the publication of the blotter because of their affiliation with the paper and their own personal blogs.
Turner goes on to say Morphet and Lende behaved improperly when they asked manager Seward to delay opening construction bids for the small boat harbor project. They were assembly members elect at the time.
Turner says Morphet, Lende, Gregg and Assembly member Ron Jackson communicated by email about a potential extension on the harbor project’s breakwater. He says this is a violation of the Alaska Open Meetings Act.
On the recall application for Gregg, Turner says the assembly member misused his official position when he said at a December 2015 meeting that the assembly can choose or not choose to follow a section of code.
KHNS filed a public records request for the emails listed in the applications.
Turner declined to comment for this story.
KHNS reached Morphet shortly after he found out about the recall applications. He called out Turner and two of the other people who signed the requests.
“I think these are so far-fetched as to be laughable,” Morphet said. “I think if Don Turner and Terry Pardee and Ryan Cook would like to serve on the assembly, they should run for a seat like anyone else. I would ask that the public stop wasting taxpayers’ money by bringing frivolous claims such as these.”
Turner previously filed a complaint accusing assembly members of violating resident Diana Lapham’s constitutional rights by denying her appointment to an advisory committee. Ultimately, nothing came of it. Morphet said that complaint and these recall applications amount to ‘an ongoing attempt to silence independent voices on the assembly.’
“I think we all have much more important business to do than this little school yard game,” Morphet said.
Morphet and Lende were elected to the assembly about six months ago. They unseated incumbent Diana Lapham and overcame three other challengers. One of the unsuccessful candidates was Ryan Cook, who is the secondary sponsor on the recall petition applications.
Gregg was elected to the assembly in 2015, along with Margaret Friedenauer. Friedenauer, Jackson and Mike Case are not targeted in the recall petition requests.
The applications are just the first step in the recall process and do not automatically trigger a public vote.
Borough Clerk Julie Cozzi, with help from the borough attorney, will determine whether the applications meet requirements outlined in Alaska Statute. Cozzi says that will take up to two weeks. If the applications are deemed sufficient, Cozzi will draw up official recall petitions. The ten original sponsors will have to gather 258 valid signatures on each petition. Then, the recall question would go to a special election ballot.
Ms. Lende, Mr. Morphet, and Mr Gregg are doing a civic duty, unpaid, and largely unrewarded. Don’t forget that. This kind of thing causes rifts in a community that just never heal.
It is important to get a bit of a perspective from time to time, and perhaps Don Turner Jr, who is a heck of a talented tradesman, can focus on other things than politics, or perhaps he has a vested interest in removing them? Who knows but for a fella with so much going for him, he is certainly participating heavily in the glass half-empty perspective.
The answer to your question Brian is hubris, lack of empathy for others and a sense of entitlement that knows no earthly bounds.
These three assembly members, Heather, Tom, and Tresham, won the majority vote and the right to sit on the Haines Borough Assembly, alongside our other 3 elected assembly members. They won because the community knew that they would work hard, listen thoughtfully, and be diligent in all matters concerning the community of Haines. This is an amazingly beautiful piece of earth that we call home. Year ’round recreational opportunities for everyone is available making Haines a heathy community in which to live. What a shame that some folks seem to thrive by creating stress and mistrust. How will our children ever learn compassion with adult bullies as role models? So disappointing. Be supportive of our elected officials, or put your name on the ballot if you think you can do a better job.
@ Brian Mr Turner owns a construction company in Haines so he has much more interest in his company making money with the harbor expansion than he does with politics. Yes I think he wants people in charge who will benefit his business. Haines is a wonderful place to live dont let these people mislead you to that fact. I have been here decades and have seen this infighting with politics over and over. The real problem we have is finding qualified people for the job; any high skilled job! Another problem we have is people in office who have vested interests in town who will always favor themselves and their friends. And when we do elect a highly qualified person they just dont fit in with the misfits who will gang up on them. But all that is nothing but aggravating to me and is not interfering with with the things I enjoy here, such as super low crime, awesome fishing and outdoor activities, the beauty of nature, the many nice folks here and the over all joy of living here.
I’m a highly qualified individual who was run off from a high skill job 6 years ago in Haines. I’m young and capable yet, the powers at be didn’t seem to want an outsider infiltrating their town. Didn’t make any sense to me but the things I heard certain individuals say and do assured me that if you were not a part of the right group that it would be an uncomfortable existence. Yes, there are many benefits but with a town that keeps getting older and smaller, it doesn’t tend to attract any of the personnel you mention. Until next time…
To the Ticked off taxpayer.. My husband and I own Turner Construction, my father in law used to be part of the company but he retired several years ago. So no he is not just trying to further his company.. And Turner Construction isn’t doing ANY of the work for the Harbor expansion, Southeast Road Builders is doing all the dirt work on that job. Maybe in the future you should get your facts straight before you put pen to paper, that would make Haines a much better place to live if people spoke facts.
What a waste of time and money for our borough.
Don Turner and individuals like him make wanting to move the geographically beautiful town of Haines a very undesirable choice. Why is it that Haines has a group of good ole boys who can’t stand someone else’s beliefs or views?!? I don’t live there but consider the possibility from time to time and these types of stories are the reason I stay away.