Probes OK'd, denied

Borough's Board of Ethics to meet

July 23, 2006

By DARRELL L. BREESE/Frontiersman

PALMER - The search for answers stemming from the suspected abuse of office by Mat-Su Borough Assemblyman Jim Colver led to a request from assembly members Betty Vehrs and Mary Kvalheim for additional investigations.

Those requests drew a mixed response.

Kvalheim, of Wasilla, had her request for

an ethics board investigation and a request for further review in executive session by the assembly, denied by both the borough clerk and attorney.

Vehrs, who represents the Meadow Lakes area and the Upper Susitna Valley, made her request Tuesday for an independent investigation into the release of documents approved by the assembly.

Kvalheim was so troubled by what she heard during a May 25 executive session that she wanted the borough's board of ethics to investigate allegations of Colver's wrong-doing.

May 26, Kvalheim requested that an investigation begin, but she was told it was not possible for the board to take up the matter, since she learned the pertinent information during an executive session.

&#8220I went to the clerk to see if I could file an ethics complaint so the board could investigate and she told me I had to talk to the borough's attorney,” Kvalheim said. &#8220The attorney told me the information learned during the executive session is confidential and, as such, I couldn't file a complaint and an ethics board investigation was not possible.”

Kvalheim said she is aware of a Tuesday meeting of the board of ethics, but said her complaint is not the topic of the meeting. According to a borough public notice, the board is meeting to elect a new chair and vice chair before moving into executive session to discuss its first case of the year. The topic of the case is not public information.

Vehrs called for a separate independent investigation because of the release of documents by the borough attorney and administration, which were prepared for review during the executive session. She garnered approval from three other assembly members, Lynne Woods, Cindy Bettine and Colver.

&#8220I'm afraid that the administration or legal department acted without authority when they released certain information from the executive session to the public regarding this matter,” Vehrs said. &#8220Past practice by the assembly is that executive sessions are confidential. The release of information from the past executive sessions is the administration and legal department superseding the authority of the assembly.”

The documents released by the attorney include a report from an independent investigator prepared after questions arose of possible violations in the award of a construction contract to Collins Construction to build the new vocational high school. Minutes from the executive session were not released.

Neither Kvalheim nor Vehrs say they intend to smear the names of anyone involved, they both just want to bring some resolution to the matters and show the assembly does its business fairly and in the open.

&#8220My concern is that people have the misconception that borough government is the local chapter of the good old boys club,” Kvalheim said. &#8220I want people to know that the assembly does its business in the open.”

Contact Darrell L. Breese at

352-2267 or at darrell.breese@

frontiersman.com.