Josie Bahnke, the acting city manager, is pegged to be Kodiak’s next permanent city manager. The city council unanimously voted to move forward with Bahnke as the final candidate during a special meeting on Aug 5. That’s despite recent controversy on social media and subsequent pushback from some local fishermen over Bahnke’s selection.
Last month the hiring committee moved forward with interviewing two final candidates for the city manager job, Bahnke and Kodiak Harbormaster Dave Johnson. Those interviews took place in mid to late July following a handful of public meetings the committee has held since March. The committee then recommended hiring Bahnke, who has been the acting city manager on an interim basis since May 1.
But during Monday’s special meeting, several people gave public comments asking the council to choose Johnson or someone other than Bahnke for the job.
Alexus Kwachka, a longtime fisherman in Kodiak, summed up what many others expressed – that comments made by Bahnke on social media against a local commercial fisherman, Raymond May of the F/V Resilient, who had transported red king crab from Nome to Kodiak last month, were unprofessional and disrespectful for a city manager to make.
“To go on social media and post stuff about the commercial fishing community…and I understand loyalty to communities, but if you are looking for a job in the community that you are going to be living in, you should probably think about the people that live in this community," Kwachka stated.
Kwachka said he was one of 11 local families, mainly fishers and business owners, who signed a letter that was sent to the City Council last month, asking for Bahnke to not be selected as the new city manager.
Each council member present at Monday’s meeting acknowledged the public’s concerns but still backed her as the best candidate for the job. Councilmember John Whiddon said this decision was not made lightly and he has discussed the incident with Raymond May and Bahnke personally.
“That being said, if you weigh everything, the qualifications of all the candidates, their ability to do the job today and into the future; I have no doubt that Josie Bahnke is the best qualified applicant for this particular job," Whiddon explained. "That said, I think there are bridges that need to be mended.”
The five present council members unanimously voted to approve Bahnke as the final candidate and move forward into contract negotiations with her to be the next city manager. Councilmember Terry Haines was absent for the Aug. 5 special meeting as he was hosting a community forum in Homer.
Currently the starting salary for the position advertised with the job posting is $175,000 annually for Kodiak’s City Manager.
The contract, once finalized, will be on the agenda of an upcoming city council meeting, but not for the Aug. 8 regular meeting, as that agenda has already been published. It could be voted on during a special meeting or regular meeting, but must be approved by council after negotiations.
