Ketchikan Borough Assembly weighs removal process for appointed board members

The Ketchikan Gateway Borough Planning Commission voted 6-0 Tuesday to censure Commissioner Darlene Dollimont-Svenson and call for her resignation over remarks she made at the commission's Sept. 15 meeting.

During commissioner comments that night, Dollimont-Svenson said, "How much more do white people have to pay for KIC in this community?" according to borough agenda materials. She said the question had come from "seven different sources" and that she had said she would ask it. KIC is the Ketchikan Indian Community, a federally recognized tribe.

Speaking to the commission before Tuesday's vote, Dollimont-Svenson said her words had been taken out of context and asked that the full record be considered before any decision on her censure or continued service. She also apologized. "It was me that said the very wrong words and I am so very sorry," she said. She did not say she would resign.

KIC President Gloria Burns urged the commission to act, saying the remarks "left a stain upon the Planning Commission and upon the community as a whole." KIC CEO and Tribal Administrator Emily Edenshaw, who spoke after Dollimont-Svenson, said the commissioner had not reached out to her or Burns since the remarks. But she thanked Dollimont-Svenson for coming to the podium to apologize, said she wished no ill will on anyone and urged the commission to censure her.

The six commissioners present all voted for Resolution 4581, which goes next to the Assembly. Four commissioners apologized during the meeting, including Vice Chair Trevor Shaw, who wrote the resolution and offered an "unequivocal, unqualified apology" to the Ketchikan Indian Community and the borough's Alaska Native residents.

The Assembly adopted a motion Sept. 21 condemning the remarks and urging the commission to censure Dollimont-Svenson, express no confidence in her and request her resignation. At a special meeting Monday, Sept. 28, the Assembly voted 7-0 to introduce Ordinance 2122, which would create a process for removing appointed members of borough committees, boards and commissions, and set a public hearing for Oct. 5. Borough code currently has no such process. During public comment that night, one speaker argued that community concerns behind the remark deserved examination, while three others spoke about the hurt it caused.

The ordinance came from the borough's Law Department, with Borough Attorney Glenn Brown listed as responsible staff and Borough Manager Ruben Duran approving it for submittal. Brown wrote that recent comments by an appointed official at a Planning Commission meeting showed the need for "a defined process."

Under the proposal, a member appointed by the mayor could be removed "for good cause" by the mayor with Assembly approval or by a two-thirds vote of the Assembly. Good cause would mean "unfitness to hold a position of public trust" or a lack of competency or performance "to the detriment of the public interest." A removed member could appeal to the Assembly. As introduced, an appealed removal would not take effect until the appeal is decided, but Assembly members said Monday they want the option to make a removal effective immediately, with the member reinstated if an appeal succeeds. The borough attorney is to bring back a revised draft for the Oct. 5 hearing.

Planning commissioners are now appointed by the mayor and confirmed by the Assembly for staggered three-year terms. Dollimont-Svenson's term runs through March 9, 2027, according to the borough's roster.