Incoming Haines Borough Manager George Zoukee faces an uphill battle.
His resume is short in three critical areas – municipal management, Alaska knowledge and small-town savvy.
That means the odds will be against him. Former managers who arrived with similar resumes – including David Sosa and Bill Seward – didn’t last long. To succeed, which for this job might be defined as surviving five or more peaceful years, Zoukee will have to study the community, including its recent history and laws, and win over clerk Alekka Fullerton and mayor Doug Olerud.
He’ll need Fullerton and Olerud not only as political allies and helpmates, but also to keep from stepping on any number of land mines. For a person with no experience in small towns, Alaska politics, or municipal management, Zoukee will be blind to issues and actions that could blow up in his face.
The most successful managers and administrators in our town’s history came from Alaska but from outside Haines. Those were Tom Healy, Bob Ward, Vince Hansen and Marco Pignalberi. (Hansen had lived here briefly, after moving from Juneau.)
These people arrived familiar with the terrain but without the baggage of their own political agendas, or old friends to keep happy or old enemies to keep at bay.
Healy was arguably the best of them, proved by his graduation from Haines and subsequent success as manager in Palmer. Healy worked hard, and kept his head down and his personal politics in check. He advised the elected leaders he worked for, but bent to their will.
No bones about it. Succeeding as manager is exceptionally difficult, evidenced by the short tenure of most of them. (Zoukee said he’d commit to 10 years in Haines; Chilkat Valley News publisher Kyle Clayton estimates the recent average lifespan on the job at 1.8 years.)
To succeed, a manager must be both a leader and a follower, both a technocrat and a friend and public advocate. A good manager must be deft enough at politics to smooth everyone’s feathers but not so ambitious as to become a politician. It’s a walk on a tightrope. Even those few who’ve mastered the job admit that.
Dave Palmer, one of the most successful managers in Southeast (with tenures in Juneau, Craig and Petersburg) laid out two rules of survival.
- On decisions that must be made by the assembly, the manager should provide a list of options, recommend one, explain his recommendation, and turn over the decision to the assembly. Advise the assembly, don’t argue with it.
- A manager should keep all members of the assembly apprised of his or her actions, decisions and priorities, constantly.
Fortunately for him, Zoukee is inheriting some benefits other managers didn’t have, namely a generally balanced assembly, an exceptional clerk, and a diligent and attentive mayor.
At least at the start, he should consult constantly with Olerud, who understands town politics. Fullerton can keep him within the community’s laws, procedures and expectations. Nurturing those two relationships, Zoukee might stand a chance.
But he’ll also have to get out of the office during his free time and get to know the town. He’ll need luck, goodwill, and public support, and he’ll need to do a lot of homework in a short period of time. Small-town people are quick to judge; borough managers enjoy only a brief honeymoon.