Wrangell’s City Hall, December 2020.
(Sage Smiley / KSTK)

Wrangell’s borough assembly will consider assembly member Julie Decker’s resignation at their meeting on Tuesday evening at 6 p.m. (January 12). 

The first borough assembly meeting of the year has a packed agenda. 

It includes extending municipal COVID-19 disaster declarations, considering Wrangell’s state and federal legislative priorities and an executive session to discuss the recently-dismissed discrimination suit against the city and ongoing collective bargaining negotiations with the city workers’ union.

The assembly will also discuss filling a vacancy for assembly member Decker who has resigned her seat. In a January 6 letter, Decker said she’s stepping down from her public service commitments to grieve the loss of her two children, who were killed last summer in a tragic car accident. 

Sig and Helen Decker (ages 21 and 19) died July 27 of last year in a car crash on Mitkof Island south of Petersburg.  

She thanked the community saying: “During our darkest hour, Wrangell and others in our Alaska Fishing Family immediately stepped forward to help us survive what is the hardest challenge of our lives.”

Decker — who had sat on the borough assembly for seven years — urged assembly members to remain respectful of each other as the assembly makes difficult decisions ahead. She said she views Wrangell’s culture of municipal respect as a rarity, and that its loss would  degrade fair representation in the community.

The full agenda for Tuesday’s meeting can be viewed at wrangell.com. Those wishing to give comment or speak at the meeting can email clerk@wrangell.com or call city hall at (907) 874-2381.

The meeting will be open to the public via teleconference and will be carried live on KSTK on 101.7 FM.

Get in touch with KSTK at news@kstk.org or (907) 874-2345.