Nome mayor breaks tie to grant cab license city denied over decades-old felony

Nome's mayor broke a 3-3 tie Tuesday to grant a chauffeur's license to a man whom city staff had turned down over a decades-old felony conviction, overruling a city clerk who told the council the city's code left him no choice.

The Nome Common Council voted 4-3 to grant Harold Michael Ahmasuk's appeal after council members split evenly. Mayor Kenny Hughes, who chaired the meeting, cast the deciding vote.

City Clerk Dan Grimmer and City Manager Lee Smith denied Ahmasuk's 2026 license Oct. 1, according to the council's meeting packet. Grimmer's letter cited a conviction from Ahmasuk's background check for sexual abuse of a minor in the second degree, which the clerk's memo lists as a Class B felony. City code says a person "shall be denied" a chauffeur's license if convicted of a felony similar to an offense against the person under state law. The letter ordered Ahmasuk to "immediately cease and desist" driving a cab in Nome and warned that failing to comply would bring citations, financial penalties and referral to court.

"The code is law as far as I'm concerned," Grimmer told the council. "It says shall, which is a requirement." He said there is no statute of limitations for the charge. "I'm following the state law, I'm following our code, which is why it was denied."

Ahmasuk appealed Oct. 6 and gave no written explanation, according to the clerk's memo. He did not speak at the meeting.

One council member said he agreed with staff that the code pointed to a denial. But he said no statute of limitations means "it can always be prosecuted," and that his understanding was that Ahmasuk's case "has all been unconditionally discharged" and that Ahmasuk had been given taxi chauffeur licenses "repeatedly over the years." He asked whether anyone knew why. He also said he believed Ahmasuk "could be driving Lyfts and Ubers tomorrow" under the state's rules for ride-hailing drivers, which he said carry a seven-year limit for most felonies, and suggested the city consider matching them.

"This incident took place back in the '80s, and I know he's been driving cab for 30 years, so why is this just coming up now?" another council member asked. He also said small towns may have reasons to keep rules stricter than the state's.

Earlier, during public comment, a man who said Ahmasuk had driven for him told the council that the police chief "approved it months ago." He said Ahmasuk turned in his application around February or March, and that the clerk's office "just sat on it" until it was denied last week. Nome's code says the police chief reviews each chauffeur's license application and approves or denies it. The council did not ask Police Chief Mike Heinzelman, who gave a report later in the meeting, about the application.

The man also said the code contradicts itself. Its first cause for denial covers misdemeanor or felony convictions within the past three years, including offenses against the person. The second, which the city cited, covers felony offenses against the person with no time limit. "You guys need to fix that," he said.