HomeMy WebLinkAbout01222018 City Council Minutes City of Seward,Alaska City Council Minutes
January 22, 2018 Volume 39,Page 344
CALL TO ORDER
The January 22,2018 regular meeting of the Seward City Council was called to order at 7:00
p.m. by Mayor David Squires.
OPENING CEREMONY
Lieutenant Doreen Valadez led the Pledge of Allegiance to the flag.
ROLL CALL
There were present:
David Squires presiding and
Marianna Keil Ristine Casagranda
Sue McClure Erik Slater
Suzanne Towsley Jeremy Horn
comprising a quorum of the Council; and
Ron Long,Acting City Manager
Brenda Ballou, City Clerk
Will Earnhart, City Attorney
Absent—None
CITIZEN COMMENTS ON ANY SUBJECT EXCEPT THOSE ITEMS SCHEDULED FOR
PUBLIC HEARING
Leighton Radner said he had been an attendee of the Teen&Youth Center(TYC)and now
the Teen Rec Room(TRR); in total he had been going for around six years. His 14 year old brother
had recently received a letter from TRR banning him for 30 days;Radner said his brother had been
questioned by the police department,not charged for anything.Radner thought the TRR should be a
warm,inviting place.He said the kids in Seward needed a safe,consistent place to relax with friends.
Kerry Romig said she owned a business in town,was a Navy veteran,and had over 30 years
of leadership experience. She wanted to comment about the leadership within the city on things that
affected all of our lives and our businesses, and about what it meant to be a productive member of
the Seward society. She expected professionals to work together, regardless of personal feelings.
There was a lot of noise today about the potential firing of the city manager. Romig saw the city
manager as a pleasant and kind person,but kindness and pleasantness didn't mean a person was a
good leader. In April 2016 there was a newspaper article about the city freezing pay for city
employees while the city manager was receiving a raise.After making it known privately that Romig
thought it would be more appropriate for the city manager to wait until everyone could receive a pay
raise, she received a threatening Facebook message about how her business could be negatively
impacted if she continued.
City of Seward,Alaska City Council Minutes
January 22, 2018 Volume 39, Page 345
Andy Mezirow said he was a local resident and business owner, and served as a voting
member on the North Pacific Fishery Management Council; he understood that being on a council
sometimes required making difficult and controversial decisions.Tonight he wanted to speak about
the city manager;he wondered if it was possible to address performance concerns through the annual
review process. If there were deficiencies with how department heads were managed, perhaps
council should direct the city manager to provide strong and clear direction.Mezirow wondered what
kind of new city manager council would expect to find in today's market.He was also concerned that
the city would experience a break in continuity with current projects.Mezirow's experience with the
City Manager Hunt and Assistant City Manager Long had been one of the most pro-business,pro-
Seward, and pro-fishing administrations he had ever worked with.
Kim Kowalski-Rogers usually watched council meetings from home,but wanted to come
tonight. She had started to wonder what the citizens of Seward were actually thinking; there have
been complaints about specific departments,name calling,accusations that the city manager was a
bully, misspelled words, and concerns about posted rules. She wondered why some of these
complaints were being raised at council meetings instead of being taken care of at the department or
administrative level.Kowalski-Rogers had worked her entire career with the city in many capacities,
and she emphatically said the city manager was not a bully. She had never witnessed,nor been the
recipient, of any bullying from the city's current administration. The real bullies were the citizens
who came to council with these minor complaints.
Paul Rupple said three years ago in January 2015, the city manager had his contract
extended and received a raise from the city council;now he wondered what had changed in the last
three years. What he saw were newly paved roads, continued development at the Seward Marine
Industrial Center(SMIC),and record-setting tourism numbers.Rupple said there were many people
who were very optimistic about the future of Seward,and part of that was due to the city manager.
Rupple felt Hunt was an advocate for the city, and in all his interactions with him,Hunt had been
honest with him,and he always received a quick response.He was concerned that the city manager
and his family were being treated poorly; he urged the council to be more respectful and more
thoughtful. Rupple appreciated the tough job of being on council, and thanked council for their
service.
Cliff Krug said last Saturday was the first"Seward Second Saturday"and there had been 26
businesses which participated;most had reported improved business activity.Those businesses that
tracked their promotions through social media reported a 25-44%activity increase.The next Second
Saturday would be February 10, 2018; home businesses and summer seasonal businesses were
welcome to take part. The idea for Seward Second Saturday had sprung from the Seward Business
Network which met on the first and third Thursday mornings at 8:00 a.m. at the Breeze Inn. The
Seward Chamber of Commerce and the Historic Preservation Commission would be working
together on improved signage to promote and facilitate tourism.
Josie McClain said she was a supervisor at the TYC. As a supervisor, she tried to produce
the best programs possible for the families of Seward;judging from the comments she received from
students and their parents,the TYC was doing a pretty good job. She encouraged her staff to share
their thoughts about how to improve the program; she wanted to afford her staff the same kind of
support that she felt through her years of experience with the city. In each of the various positions
she had held at the city,her supervisors had helped her learn and grow.
City of Seward,Alaska City Council Minutes
January 22, 2018 Volume 39, Page 346
Brittany Paquette said she had recently joined the city as the new TRR coordinator. She
wished to introduce herself and said she would be speaking this evening as someone who aligned
with truth,integrity,and justice. Since coming on board at the TRR, she had endeavored to uphold
the following principles of moral and ethical integrity at the Teen Rec Room,and she summarized
the 10 Golden Rules to Professional Ethics in the Workplace by Leandro Valente: 1)always strive
for excellence, 2) be trustworthy, 3) be accountable, 4) be courteous and respectful, 5) be honest,
open,and transparent, 6)be competent and improve continually, 7)always be ethical, 8)always be
honorable and act with integrity, 9) be respectful of confidentiality, and 10) set good examples.
Paquette thought these were sound principles to live, work, teach, and lead by. She stood by her
program and her core principles.
Bruce Stanford was here on a personal note, as a friend of the city manager. The city
manager had brought in over$89 million for the city.He thought it was low for the special meeting
to be called,and he thought the city manager was due a fair hearing for his employment issues with
the city council. Stanford said Hunt worked tirelessly for the city and he pushed the right buttons in
the halls of Juneau.
Kelley Lane was excited to see the room overflowing tonight. As a city employee, she had
concerns about the grievance process. She wished the grievance process was clearly stated and
readily available for employees. Lane thought the current process did not protect employees from
losing work and social standing;rather, it was a long and drawn out process. She wished to see the
opportunity for people to honestly speak about the troubles that have been going on, and to see
everyone come together.
Dean Kasischke had been a local business owner since 1988. He thought the city manager
seemed to have been doing a good job, and he thought Hunt should have a fair shake with his
contract.
Maya Moriarty had been here since 1997 and was an active member of the community.She
had submitted an email to the council today,and wanted to reiterate her support of the city manager.
She was concerned that projects currently underway would fall through the cracks;she worried that
state and federal monies would go away.She understood there were personnel issues within the city,
and encouraged council to simply follow the process.
Tim McDonald thought Seward was getting to the point that city council should become
full-time paid employees. He thought the town was falling apart and there was no team spirit.
Carol Griswold said it was a phenomenal turnout at tonight's meeting.She wanted to follow
up on this evening's work session on the grievance process; she wished council would have the
employee forms policies and procedures posted online. Since the last council meeting,Griswold had
performed some extensive research on workplace bullying. Regarding employee conduct,the only
issue currently addressed in that section today was sexual harassment; she thought workplace
bullying could be added to expand the topic.In the 2030 Seward Comprehensive Plan,she wondered
why the city's organizational chart hadn't been included; she wished council would consider
including this information.
Patrick Messmer thanked council and administration.
City of Seward,Alaska City Council Minutes
January 22, 2018 Volume 39, Page 347
APPROVAL OF AGENDA AND CONSENT AGENDA
Motion (Keil/Casagranda) Approval of Agenda and Consent Agenda 111
Casagranda removed Resolution 2018-005, Resolution 2018-006, Resolution 2018-007, and
Resolution 2018-008 from the consent agenda.
Casagranda added an Item under Other New Business to discuss the annual audit with BDO.
Casagranda added an item under Other New Business to schedule a work session to review the
employee grievance procedure.
Motion Passed Unanimous
The clerk read the following approved consent agenda items:
Approval of the January 8, 2018 Regular Meeting Minutes.
Non-objection to the renewal of the following liquor license: #5356 Restaurant/Eating Place—
Public Convenience for Zudy's Café.
Non-objection to the renewal of the following liquor license: #177 Beverage Dispensary —
Tourism for Breeze Inn.
Non-objection to the renewal of the following liquor license: #1130 Beverage Dispensary for
Thorn's Showcase Lounge.
SPECIAL ORDERS, PRESENTATIONS AND REPORTS
Proclamations & Awards—None
Chamber of Commerce Report. Cindy Clock said the annual Community Awards
Banquet was held last Friday; she congratulated Sue McClure for winning the award for
Outstanding Community Service, Jean Bardarson for Person of the Year, and Mike Ritz for
Business of the Year. The chamber board was planning to offer an education seminar on
preventing retail shoplifting and theft. Two members of the chamber staff would be attending the
small business management class offered by Tom Tougas which would begin on March 6, 2018
and last for 10 weeks. The chamber was busy planning for spring activities: May 18-20, 2018
Rotary Conference; Sports& Rec Shows; Seward Harbor Opening&Mermaid Festival;ribbon-
cutting ceremony at SMIC to promote the completion of the breakwater project.The annual Polar
Bear Jump would be this Saturday. Doug Capra would be at the chamber lunch on Friday talking
about the Rockwell Kent anniversary. Clock announced that the brand new 2018 Seward guides
had just arrived.
City Manager Report. Acting City Manager Ron Long reported the following purchase
orders between$10,000 and$50,000 had been approved by the City Manager since the last council
meeting: None. Long said, following up on TRR policies review discussed at the last council
meeting, administration had begun a review, and would be providing a report to council soon. The
Coast Guard Commandant in Juneau had contacted Long this morning to discuss fast response
City of Seward,Alaska City Council Minutes
January 22, 2018 Volume 39,Page 348
111 cutters. The governor's office today signed the city's Declaration of Emergency for Lowell Point
Road damage due to the storm surge in early December,2017;this would free up approximately$1
million in emergency assistance funds.The governor's office would now forward that to the federal
level.In response to Squires,Long said the borough would be the recipient of that assistance money.
In response to Casagranda, Long said the Port and Commerce Advisory Board (PACAB)
discussed having a SMIC party in April to celebrate the completion of the breakwater project.Also
in response to Casagranda, the SMIC Development Plan would be coming forward for council
approval very soon,and Long commended PACAB for accomplishing the plan review and update in
just three short months.
Long said the 2018/2019 final budget book should be going to print very soon. Casagranda
wished to see a consolidated report which reflected all encumbered funds,and Long said he would
provide that.In response to Casagranda,Electric Utilities Manager John Foutz said he and Willard
Dunham usually attended the Alaska Railbelt Cooperative Transmission & Electric Company
(ARCTEC) meetings, and Foutz would be happy to let council know when those meetings were
coming. Regarding the likelihood of another big storm surge happening again, Long said several
things would have to happen again simultaneously:a super high tide in Resurrection Bay,significant
swell activity in the Gulf of Alaska, and a storm surge pushing extra water up on the shore. Long
thought the odds of all that happening again would be low, but depending upon the severity, new
damage would likely be considered a separate incident.
City Attorney Report. Will Earnhart stated Police Officer Matthew"Eddie"Armstrong
had been cleared by the state of any wrongdoing in the shooting incident. Earnhart sent his
condolences to the McComas family.Although Earnhart did not draft a written report,he had billed
the city for 58 hours last month;some of his time had been spent in preparation for the APEA work
session,and some of his time had been spent addressing grievance issues.Earnhart stated there were
supervisors that were extremely frustrated with the grievance process; he encouraged everyone to
stop personalizing and start discussing the issue. Earnhart offered to work directly with Council
Member Towsley to review the grievance process from each of their very different perspectives,and
perhaps bring some ideas back for the next work session;council unanimously supported Towsley
meeting with Earnhart to develop ideas.
In response to Squires, Earnhart agreed to review the language submitted by citizen Carol
Griswold regarding the city's anti-bullying policy to consider adopting some of the language into the
existing city code. Further, Squires requested Earnhart consider the application of the policy to
protect both ways between city staff and city council. Keil added that she wished the city attorney
would include administration in his review, since a city policy already existed, and council
unanimously supported that request.
In response to Casagranda,Earnhart said it was not uncommon to have an organization chart
included in a city's code and charter.Keil said it had been included in previous comprehensive plans.
Long said the most current and accurate organization chart could be found in the budget.
Other Reports,Announcements and Presentations—None
PUBLIC HEARINGS
City of Seward, Alaska City Council Minutes
January 22, 2018 Volume 39, Page 349
Resolution 2018-004, Authorizing The City Manager To Enter Into A New Lease With Exit
Marine,LLC For Lot 4 Block 4 Fourth Of July Creek Subdivision,Seward Marine Industrial
Center,Kenai Peninsula Borough,Plat No.2017-13 Seward Recording District,Third Judicial
District, State Of Alaska.
Motion (Keil/Casagranda) Approve Resolution 2018-004
Long said this business had received a short term lease from the city just about one year ago,
and in that time the business had performed and accomplished everything they were obligated to do.
Further,the business was in compliance with all the city's laws and regulations,they were current on
all their accounts, and they had their Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan (SWPPP) in place.
Deputy Harbormaster Matt Chase added that this business was a great asset to the yard at
SMIC; they had plans for growth, and everything they have committed to do they have done.
Notice of the public hearing being posted and published as required by law was noted and the public
hearing was opened.
Tim McDonald wished to know the term of the lease.
No one else appeared to address the Council and the public hearing was closed.
Casagranda said this was a 20 year lease with two 5-year extensions.
Squires commended administration for cleaning up the hazardous waste language from the
former lease with Exit Marine.
Motion Passed Unanimous
UNFINISHED BUSINESS—None
NEW BUSINESS
Resolution 2018-005,Adjusting The Contract Amount Of Resolution 2017-011 For National
Metering From $178,684 To $198,847,And Appropriating Funds.
Motion (Keil/Casagranda) Approve Resolution 2018-005
Long said because the meter exchange work had been delayed from last summer,and because
the city and the citizens would greatly benefit from have the contractor perform the work inside of
one single utility billing cycle, there was a cost adjustment that would be incurred which was the
reason for this resolution.
Motion Passed Unanimous
Resolution 2018-006, Adopting The Port And Commerce Advisory Board Priorities From
February 2018 To February 2019.
Motion (Keil/Casagranda) Approve Resolution 2018-006
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January 22, 2018 Volume 39, Page 350
Long said this was a priority list that the Port and Commerce Advisory Board(PACAB)put
together, and would be reviewed at the annual joint work session with council.
Motion to Amend (Casagranda/Towsley) Amend Resolution 2018-006 by adding a new
priority, "7. Install a 5 Ton crane in the
boat harbor."
Keil wished to wait to amend this list until council had the opportunity to meet with PACAB
in the joint work session. Casagranda recalled the passionate testimonies of fishermen wanting to
have a crane in the harbor, and wanted to make sure those pleas were not forgotten. McClure and
Slater concurred with Keil.
Motion To Amend Failed Yes: Casagranda
No: Keil, Slater, McClure, Towsley, Horn,
Squires
Main Motion Passed Yes: Keil,Slater,Horn,Towsley,McClure,
Squires
No: Casagranda
Resolution 2018-007, Retroactively Amending The 2017 Budget To Account For Additional
Sales Tax To The Hospital Fund Based On Additional Collections And Closing Out Completed
Projects At Year-End, And Appropriating Funds.
Motion (Keil/Casagranda) Approve Resolution 2018-007
Long said this was a budget true-up resolution;it was nice that the sales tax revenue came
in higher than anticipated.
In response to Casagranda, Finance Director Kris Erchinger said during the budget
process,one-quarter of estimated sales tax revenues was targeted to transfer out of the general fund
to the healthcare fund. Erchinger explained that budget to actual figures were not yet available;
transfers were done on a cash basis,and because the city used accrual accounting,budgeted amounts
sometimes were reported in a different time period from the when the cash came in. Erchinger
further explained that the remaining three-quarters of the excess sales tax revenue would go into the
undesignated reserves account in the general fund.
Motion Passed Unanimous
Resolution 2018-008,Authorizing The Seward Public Utilities To Allow A Delay Of Up To Six
Months In The Effective Date Of The Water And Sewer Tariffs To Correct The Classification
For Some Customers Incorrectly Billed Metered Water And Sewer Rates Rather Than
Standard Monthly Rates.
Motion (Keil/Casagranda) Approve Resolution 2018-008
Erchinger said this resolution was in response to a billing error where these customers were
previously misclassified in the billing system,and was neither a rate increase nor a tariff error;these
customers were originally set up in the system at a metered water rate, but were not actually in a
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January 22, 2018 Volume 39, Page 351
classification that allowed a metered water rate, and so had been essentially been underbilled. The
concern was that the impact of correcting this classification error all at once would be sticker shock
for the customers,many of whom owned duplexes or four-plexes,and so the city wanted to grant the
customers this extra time to allow them to pass along the cost adjustment to their tenants.Erchinger
added that, because this was an error made by the city, administration thought it was fair to allow
these customers six months to make their adjustments with their tenants; these customers were
almost all General Service customers.
In response to Squires, Long confirmed there would be no back billing, and the six months
that was being requested would be for easing the customers' transition to the new billing
classification.
Motion Passed Unanimous
Other New Business Items
Non-objection to the renewal of the following liquor licenses: #5288 Brewpub—Seasonal for
Seward Brewing Company and #5287 Restaurant/Eating Place — Public Convenience for
Seward Brewing Company.
Motion (Casagranda/Towsley) Approve the Non-Objection to the Liquor
License Renewals #5288 Brewpub —
Seasonal for Seward Brewing Company
and #5287 Restaurant/Eating Place —
Public Convenience for Seward Brewing
Company.
Slater declared a potential conflict of interest because he was the owner of the Seward Brewing
Company. Squires ruled that a conflict existed and excused Slater from the dais.
Motion Passed Unanimous
Slater returned to the dais.
Non-objection to the renewal of the following liquor license: #4617 Beverage Dispensary for
Chinooks Waterfront.
Motion (Casagranda/Keil) Approve the Non-Objection to the Liquor
License Renewal #4617 Beverage
Dispensary for Chinooks Waterfront.
Slater declared a potential conflict of interest because he was co-owner of Chinooks
Waterfront. Squires ruled that a conflict existed and excused Slater from the dais.
Motion Passed Unanimous
Slater returned to the dais.
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January 22, 2018 Volume 39, Page 352
Discuss Travel Authorization Reports (pre-travel) and Travel & Expense Reports (post-
travel).
Motion to Postpone (Keil/McClure) Postpone this discussion item to the February
12, 2018 meeting.
Motion to Postpone Approved Yes: McClure, Keil, Horn, Slater, Squires
No: Towsley, Casagranda
Casagranda requested that additional information be provided about the purpose of this
discussion item in the next agenda packet.
Towsley recalled that this discussion item had been on council's last agenda,and that Squires
had requested it come again at this meeting in order to have a full council present for the discussion.
Discuss sending one or more council members to electric utility training.
Electric Utility Manager John Foutz said there was training being offered by Northwest
Public Power Association (NWPPA) for utility board members, and Foutz thought it would be
appropriate for council to consider. In response to Keil, Foutz said he didn't know if the electric
budget could be used for sending council members to this training or not; Long said this was not a
budgeted item for electric, and Keil said she would prefer that the travel expense come from the
electric department's budget.
Casagranda and Towsley both expressed interest in attending. Squires offered to work with
Erchinger to review budget possibilities,and would bring back his findings to council;there was no
objection from council.
Discuss City Projects and Goals.
Motion to Postpone (Keil/McClure) Postpone this discussion item to the February
12, 2018 meeting.
Motion to Postpone Approved Unanimous Consent
Discuss the annual audit with BDO.
Casagranda wanted assurance that the audit contract was going back out as a Request For
Proposal (RFP). She was concerned that council had not seen anything come forward.
Erchinger said she believed the audit contract could be extended for two additional years at
the discretion of the city manager,and that the contract had already been committed to extension for
the next two years, to include audits for the years 2017 and 2018.
Casagranda requested that administration review the original contract and resolution. She
brought to everyone's attention that the resolution had been amended by council at the time to
require council's approval for extension rather than the city manager's. The city clerk confirmed that
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January 22, 2018 Volume 39, Page 353
there was a discrepancy found between the meeting minutes and the resolution in which the minutes
reflected the amendment made by council to the contract,but the resolution had not been updated to
reflect the amendment.
Schedule a work session to review the employee grievance procedure.
Council scheduled a work session on Tuesday, February 13, 2018 at 5:30 p.m. to discuss the
Employee Grievance Procedure.
INFORMATIONAL ITEMS AND REPORTS
November, 2017 Financial Reports for the City of Seward.
City Clerk Email Adopting Lettering System for City of Seward Ballot Propositions and Questions.
COUNCIL COMMENTS
Keil said, in response to concerns about employee turnover, she had asked Erchinger to
provide a report for regular employee departures, and she presented this report as a laydown for
council. Keil reviewed the report,and clarified that it did not include temporary employees.Fifteen
employees had turned over in 2017: 1 failed probation, 1 resigned during probation, 3 retired, 3
moved away, 6 resigned, and 1 was "other".
Casagranda thanked Cliff Krug for his grass roots effort in promoting Seward business.She
congratulated Sue McClure and Jean Bardarson for receiving awards at the Chamber of Commerce
awards banquet, as well as Mike Ritz, Jason Bickling, Shelly Shank, and Elliot Jackson.
McClure thanked the citizens for coming tonight. Last year McClure had sponsored a
resolution to keep the National Ocean Sciences Bowl(NOSB)in Seward;she encouraged volunteers
to sign up for the NOSB Tsunami Bowl on February 9-11, 2018.
Slater thanked everyone for speaking at the meeting tonight; it took guts to stand up and
speak, and he admired everyone for doing it.
Towsley also wanted to thank everyone for speaking tonight. She said when she ran for
council last year, she had no illusions that it would be easy to serve, and that had already been
evident in her short three months on council.Towsley wanted to apologize to the citizens who came
expecting the special meeting tonight; had she had the information that she had been requesting,
respectfully and through council,she would have known the city manager would not be in the office
today, and would not have wasted people's time. She was disappointed in the presiding officer for
allowing a citizen to target her directly with comments tonight; she did not feel protected. Towsley
understood that there was a lot of work to do,and that there would be some uncomfortable things to
deal with,but she believed that the community,as well as the employees of the city,would benefit in
the long run.
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January 22, 2018 Volume 39, Page 354
Horn thanked everyone for speaking; special thanks to Cliff Krug for breaking the tension.
He appreciated people coming out tonight.He was not here to take sides,but wanted to do what was
best for the community.
Squires congratulated all the award winners at the chamber banquet. He had received an
email from Building Inspector Stefan Nilsson stating that public law 115-97 was passed which
would incentivize the installation of sprinkler systems in commercial and residential buildings,
including the potential for rebates for the costs. Squires apologized to Towsley for not reacting
quicker when the citizen's comments got out of line. He also wished to have training by the city
attorney on the Open Meetings Act(OMA).
Long said the city manager provided notice to the council that he was extending his leave
approximately 1 1/2 hours prior to the special meeting notice going out last Friday.
CITIZEN COMMENTS
Darryl Schaefermeyer said regarding PACAB priorities and the crane,he reminded council
that PACAB spent a good amount of time on this issue, and had recommended installing an 8 ton
crane in the boat harbor to council several years ago. That recommendation still stood today;there
was no further action for PACAB to take because the recommendation lay with council. On a
different topic, Schaefermeyer said,having spent time as a city manager in Seward himself,he felt
some personal angst in calling a special meeting to fire the city manager today; he thought it was
unfair to the city manager, to the body, and to the people of Seward. He didn't want to criticize
members of council, and appreciated the work of council.
Matt Chase said there was a 10 ton crane going in across the bay.
Kris Erchinger said there were times when city employees needed to be heard, and not
everyone took that opportunity.The environment that administration and the department heads have
been living under for the past two months has been unbearable. Erchinger said there had been a
handful of employees who stood up and said,"I've been bullied,"or,"I've been harassed,"and some
of them may have legitimate claims. But Erchinger believed that the majority of bullying has been
coming from members of City Council,particularly one who was a former employee who Erchinger
believed had a personal vendetta against herself and the city manager;she felt that that was what had
been going on for the last two months. Public records requests had been coming in that Erchinger
thought were fishing expeditions in order to allege that people had done things; one didn't have to
have any proof,or even specific allegations—the allegations alone were the point because allegations
took on a life of their own. She said administration had brought in$90 million to the city from state
and federal grants.Although she had had difficulties working with the city manager in the past,she
felt like they had worked them out. Erchinger said the problem she had was with sitting council
members colluding with city employees in order to file claims against department heads that they
were trying to get rid of. Erchinger thought there was a concerted effort by members of council to
bully employees,and thought that people's personal agendas were clear if you watched social media.
Erchinger said it was hard for her to breech her own standards and air dirty laundry in this setting,
but she believed there were people with personal vendettas who would not rest until certain people
had been fired, including herself. Every day on social media she read about council members
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January 22, 2018 Volume 39, Page 355
colluding with city employees to file false grievances against her to get her fired. She said the good
and kind people were vulnerable to attack because they wouldn't fight back,they would just take it.
She urged council to please protect all the city employees, because they were all valuable.
Rebekah Ivy had been a city employee for over eight years, and was a third generation
Sewardite. She had been recently asked what it would take for her to feel comfortable to tell her
story, and what it was like to be employed at the city. Ivy said she couldn't answer the question,
because she didn't know what it would take for her to feel safe to tell another side of the story. She
believed if the city hired a third party to do an internal audit,there would be a chance for both sides
of the story to be told,not just one side or the other,and potentially make changes based on factual
information; this would eliminate bias from inside the city, as well as from council. Ivy said there
was a reason why employees were asking to unionize,and if the city's employees were truly the most
valuable asset,she believed that hiring an outside source to help would be the best answer.She was
very thankful that council was listening to the employees and having meetings to discuss the issues.
Patrick Messmer agreed that there should be an outside auditor hired. He also agreed that
there were two sides to every story, and in order to get the whole story, there needed to be an
impartial party involved.In his work environment,Messmer felt he and others were always walking
on eggshells. He had no ill will towards anyone, but something needed to be done.
Stephanie Wright said she originally came tonight to speak up about her experience of being
retaliated against following her employment with the city, and thought it was clear that there were
others with similar experiences. She wished council would do more with the anonymous employee
information that was collected. Wright believed many people feared retaliation,and many people had
already had to deal with it.She agreed that having a third party involved in the process would yield a
better outcome. She hoped the work would continue to make this a honest,fair,and enjoyable place
to work.
Joe Tougas was a citizen of Seward and a local business owner.As a community member
and business owner,in his experience the city administration and harbormaster's office had done a
great job with supporting community and economic development.
Brittany Paquette passed out the Teen Rec Room (TRR) guidelines. Paquette had high
standards and boundaries for the youth at the TRR;she had self-respect and wanted to demonstrate
respect and integrity as a role model for the teens. She would remain steadfast in her mission to serve
the youth at the TRR.
Kelley Lane heard administration say that their workplace had come under attack and that
their workplace had become extremely hostile, and she had one question: who still had their job?
Lane said when she went to the personnel office to ask about her work status,she had been told that
her matter was no longer about personnel,but had become a legal matter;she thought that strange,so
she went to her supervisor to ask about her employment status and was told the same thing,that this
was no longer a personnel matter, it was a legal matter. Lane said she did not understand why her
employment had become a legal matter.In her observation,she thought that many employees were
often told to get a lawyer. Lane thought a critical litmus test to remember when considering if
City of Sewarc4 Alaska City Council Minutes
January 22, 2018 Volume 39, Page 356
someone was being bullied or harassed was to ask who had the power in the relationship,who had
the money, and who still had their job.
COUNCIL AND ADMINISTRATION RESPONSE TO CITIZEN COMMENTS
Keil said in recent days, she had received 37 phone calls in support of administration,four
phone calls against administration, and four emails against administration. In her opinion, that
demonstrated overwhelming support of the administration.
Towsley reminded everyone of the Polar Bear Jump coming this weekend. Towsley said,
before she was ever on City Council,she had gone before council and expressed her concerns about
what was going on in city hall. She thought it was unfair to characterize how she left employment at
city hall as saying she was going after anybody; she had gone before council repeatedly with her
concerns because that was what individual members of council had asked her to do at the time. She
said nothing really changed.As the conversations continued over time,she heard people saying that
council needed to change, so she ran for council. She ran for council, she was elected, and she
deserved just as much respect as any other elected official at the dais. Towsley added that any
information provided to some of council,should be provided to all of council.She strongly objected
to the characterization that she was out to get anybody; she was,however,out to make sure that the
employees were protected and had a work environment that was safe.Towsley added that,when an
entity that had the resources to turn off a person's power was the entity that was under question,yet
people were being told that entity was unquestionable, that was an issue. This was a fundamental
reason why she ran for council,and she deserved the same respect as any other member of council.
Casagranda said she was sorry for the special meetings that were scheduled and then
cancelled. She said it was not easy to sit at the dais,and had she been given the information about the
city manager's delay in returning to work,she would not have scheduled a special meeting for today.
Last Friday, when Casagranda scheduled the special meeting, her information was that the city
manager would be returning to work on January 21, 2018, which meant he would have been in
attendance tonight at this meeting.Yesterday,on Sunday,Casagranda noticed that the city manager's
calendar had been updated to reflect his extended absence;council had been asking the city manager
for months to update the calendar with his information and this was the first time it had been done.
Casagranda apologized to the public for anyone who was stressed out or felt their time was wasted
by this recent chain of events,and reminded everyone that she had a life,too,and it was not easy for
her either; it had been very stressful for her as well. She looked forward to everybody coming
together and working together,but felt it was definitely time to take action and make some changes.
Casagranda encouraged all of the 37 people that Keil mentioned to contact her so she could get a
different perspective; she wanted to see the whole picture.
Long said when council set forth the idea of having a work session to review the grievance
procedure,administration suggested having an independent third party so that there wouldn't be an
inadvertent result of pitting the officers of the city against each other in a way that was non-
productive,or actually destructive.Long said that idea had been dismissed out of hand.Long added
that when administration received correspondence that referred to a person's"counsel"the city had
an obligation to treat that as meaning legal representation,and had to respond accordingly.Long said
at 2:30 p.m. on Friday,the administrative assistant for the city manager emailed and called the city
clerk's office to ensure that the information about the city manager's extended absence was received.
City of Seward,Alaska City Council Minutes
January 22, 2018 Volume 39, Page 357
EXECUTIVE SESSION
Motion (Keil/McClure) Go into executive session to evaluate the
City Attorney.
The City Attorney was invited to attend.
Motion Passed Unanimous
Council went into Executive Session at 10:00 p.m.
Council came out of Executive Session at 10:29 p.m.
Council recessed the meeting until Tuesday,January 23,2018 at 4:30 p.m.
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Council resumed the meeting on Tuesday,January 23,2018 at 4:32 p.m.
Council recessed the meeting at 4:34 p.m. for a brief intermission.
Council resumed the meeting at 4:40 p.m.
Council went into Executive Session at 4:41 p.m.
The City Attorney was invited to attend.
Council came out of Executive Session at 5:22 p.m.
Council directed the city clerk to add an executive session to the February 12, 2018 meeting to
discuss the city attorney's contract.
ADJOURNMENT
The meeting was adjourned at 5:25 p.m.
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Brenda J. Ba 1, , MdOi SE p ', David Squires
City Clerk V�,.•••ORPOtQ;,•••.•'Q Mayor
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(City Seal) E •
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