Newman returns to Petersburg Borough Assembly

Scott Newman has returned to his seat at the dais as the seventh member of the Petersburg Borough Assembly.

When voters in the October municipal election chose Bob Lynn as Petersburg's new mayor, the move opened up his seat on the borough assembly.

Bob Martin and Jeff Meucci were sworn in last month as newly-elected assembly members. Their seats were previously filled by Newman and Donna Marsh.

Marsh ran for reelection to the assembly this fall as the sole incumbent in the race for the two seats, but placed third. Newman chose to run for mayor, barring him from concurrently running for assembly; however, he wasn't elected to the role.

To fill Mayor Lynn's seat, the assembly considered a pool of people interested in the position. The process includes making a motion to appoint one of them, seconding it, and then discussing it. Under state statute, the seated assembly members then have to vote in open session, publicly, voting for or against appointing the person. If that person gets four votes, they're sworn in. The appointee fills the position for one year, until the next local election.

Six people submitted letters of interest - including Marsh and the other two candidates, Raliegh Cook and Tony Vinson, who didn't win the Oct. 7 election. Also among the pool was Tina Kerr and Marc Taylor, as well as Newman.

Former mayor Mark Jensen, who didn't run for reelection, testified in support of appointing Marsh to the vacancy during the Nov. 3 assembly meeting.

"I would suggest that the assembly vote to appoint Donna Marsh to this position, and the reasoning is because she had the third highest votes in running for assembly," Jensen said. "That way you're representing the public's interest or how they voted at the election. So it only makes sense to me."

Testifying by Zoom, Marsh said it was an honor to serve on the assembly for the past three years, and she'd be honored to do it for another year. Marsh, who had also been vice mayor for the past year, noted she believed the assembly could accomplish much by working together regardless of viewpoints.

"My third place finish in the recent election, where I came in third or the third highest vote getter, I would also urge consideration that it might be considered as a voice of the public to put me in that spot," said Marsh. "I thank you for your consideration."

When Newman testified, he said that although he wasn't elected mayor, his commitment to community service after three years on the assembly remained. He said he could bring a constructive, balanced voice to the table.

"My motivation for seeking the seat is simple. I care deeply about this community and want to continue contributing to its long-term health, growth and sustainability," said Newman. "I would be honored to serve and to help carry forward the shared goals that make Petersburg such a strong and vibrant place to live."

Mayor Lynn entertained the idea of selecting Newman for the seat. Assembly Member Jeigh Stanton Gregor - who at the meeting was also appointed to be vice mayor - formally made the motion, seconded by assembly member James Valentine.

When the time came to make the appointment, Stanton Gregor individually commended each of the six people who submitted their names for consideration. He said he doesn't discount Jensen's point about Marsh getting the third most votes for an assembly seat. But even so, he favored having Newman back at the dais.

"I worked with Scott [Newman] over the last two plus years. We agreed on some issues and we disagreed on plenty more," said Stanton Gregor. "One thing I respected a great deal about him was his ability to want to grow in the role and learn new things. And I liked how he disagreed. We disagreed on plenty of issues, and I found when we did, I generally learned something which helped me grow as a person, as an assembly member. And I think it'd be, I think he's a prudent choice for us to appoint once again."

Assembly Member Rob Schwartz said he thought each person who put their name in the hat was community-oriented. He said he grew up with Newman and respects him, but agreed with Jensen's point on picking Marsh because she was the runner-up in the assembly race.

"Love you, Scott, but I'll be voting no on this one," said Schwartz. "My support is for Donna."

Assembly Member Bob Martin said it wouldn't be fair to compare Marsh's campaign for assembly to Newman's for mayor.

"Donna does have a strong case with all those votes, but it wasn't an apples to apples race. She didn't run against Scott," said Martin. "Scott had a tsunami of charisma against him, running against Bob Lynn [for mayor]. So I'm going to be voting for Scott."

The assembly voted 5–1 in favor of appointing Newman to the vacant seat, with Schwartz casting the only opposing vote. Newman was promptly sworn in and rejoined his fellow assembly members seated at the dais.

In an interview after the meeting, Newman said he didn't doubt that his experience was dwarfed by Lynn's regarding the mayoral race. He believes Lynn will lead well and looks forward to continuing work on the assembly.

"It took a lot for me to put forward a letter of interest, and put myself out there again," Newman said. "But I felt compelled to not quit, and keep going forward, you know, in a positive way. And, hopefully, I can bring good things and good insight to the assembly. And it's only for one year, we'll see how things go, and I'll reevaluate then."

Other appointments

A handful of other vacancies were left after Petersburg's local election last month. Appointments to fill those positions were made by the mayor, without objection, during the assembly meeting.

John Lichtenberger was appointed to the Public Safety Advisory Board; Andy Kittams was appointed to the Harbor and Ports Advisory Board; and Mika Cline was appointed to the Planning Commission.

There is one seat left unfilled due to no interest on Petersburg's school board.

Lynn also made representative and liaison appointments: Jeff Meucci and James Valentine are representatives to Southeast Conference; Lynn and Borough Manager Steve Giesbrecht are representatives to Alaska Municipal League; Rob Schwartz is the assembly liaison to Petersburg's Harbor and Ports Advisory Board; Bob Martin is the assembly liaison to the Hospital Board; Scott Newman is the assembly liaison to the Public Safety Advisory Board and the Local Emergency Planning Committee; and Valentine is continuing as the assembly liaison to the Petersburg Economic Development Council.

Jeigh Stanton Gregor, appointed by the mayor without objection, is serving as vice mayor, as well as the Petersburg Borough Assembly's first parliamentarian - a procedural rule-keeper.

"He's already corrected me twice [today]," Lynn said with a smile. "That's okay."

This story was first published at http://www.kfsk.org and is reprinted here with permission.