Ballot tapped as new Maniilaq Head

September 2, 1993

By Michael Gerhardt
Arctic Sounder

In a split vote during a hide-a-way meeting in Bornite last week, Maniilaq Association's Board of Directors chose Joe Ballot, owner of a Kotzebue consulting firm, to lead the non-profit health and social services corporation.

In a 5-4 vote Aug. 26, the board picked Ballot from among four top contenders for the position, vacated last March by Suzy Erlich.

The choice comes after a nasty breakup with Erlich and a five-month search for a new president.

Ballot will take over the reins of the troubled organization Sept. 14, but he is already facing some unhappy board members.

Several board members are charging that Ballot was chosen over more qualified candidates solely because he is Native, and that the board's own hiring criteria were not followed.

According to Thomas Pungalik Sr., chairman of the board of directors, Ballot was picked because some village IRA and traditional councils put pressure on their board representatives to hire a Native.

"He won it just because some of the (board) directors wanted a Native," he said. "That's all. I think that's what some of the votes were for. That's why he won it."

Board members are chosen by the IRA and traditional councils in each of the 12 villages served by Maniilaq.

Although he voted for Ballot, Pungalik said Monday he did not believe Ballot was the most qualified candidate for the position.

Ballot said he was focusing on preparing for his new job and did not want to comment on the issue.

"I'd rather not try to comment on what the board thinks. I'd leave it to them," he said. "The issue is not whether there is a Native or a non-Native in there. There's work that's got to be done and that's what needs to be focused on."

Ballot also said the vote was not indicative of his support, since a full board did not vote.

Three board members, Glenna Parrish of Buckland, Irma Sheldon of Shungnak and Mae Hank of Point Hope were not at the meeting to cast their votes.

"I think because there were nine directors who voted, it's hard to say it was a split vote," Ballot said.

But Board Vice President Cheryl Edenshaw said the vote cast a pall over the board.

"Even those people who voted for him were not happy. It was like a funeral," she said.

Edenshaw and several other board members were unhappy with what they saw as a failure to follow established hiring procedure.

"I was one of them who voted no, and it'll be on the record," said Ruth Moto of Deering. "We didn't follow the predetermined criteria on how we would select the president.

"We looked at education, experience, references and interviews. All that criteria was to be used to determine who we selected as a president."

But, she said, "We didn't follow that criteria. I don't think it was a good decision to hire Joe Ballot. I think there were individuals that were more qualified than he was."

Moto said she would not discuss whom she had been supporting for the job.

Kobuk board member Rosie Ward said she supported Ballot because she felt it was important that he is able to speak both Inupiaq and English.

"I voted for him because he can understand bilingual, and that's what Maniilaq is about. And it should be a Native organization. That's why I voted for Joe," Ward said.

Other board members who supported Ballot could either not be reached or referred questions to Pungalik.

Acting president Helen Bolen would not release information on the vote other than what was contained in a Maniilaq press release.

But according to Edenshaw, those supporting Ballot were Pungalik, Ward, Conrad Douglas of Ambler, Nelda Swan of Kivalina, and Warren Ramoth of Selawik.

Edenshaw, Moto, Ben Atoruk of Kiana, and Frank Adams Sr. of Noatak voted against Ballot, according to Edenshaw.

Edenshaw said the hiring process set out by the board early in its search for a new president was not consistently followed.

"I was really concerned that we were fair to all the applicants and that we followed the process that was set out. I don't believe we did," she said.

When the board's presidential search committee went through the initial screening of applicants, the hiring criteria was followed, according to Edenshaw. But during the final selection, the board did not consider much of the information accumulated during the presidential search, she said.

"It wasn't used at all, for any of them. It was just a vote," she said.

Ballot said he is excited about the job and ready to get to work.

"First off, (Maniilaq is) very dear in my heart. I've always wanted to serve the people in one way or another. I never really imagined doing it from the Maniilaq side," he said.

Ballot graduated from Mt. Edgecumbe High School and served 20 years with the Alaska National Guard, according to the press release distributed last Monday. He said he preferred not to discuss information about his background other than what appeared in the press release.

His service with the National Guard included seven years as commander of the Third Scout Battalion in Kotzebue, according to the press release. From 1989 to 1991, Ballot was vice president and general manager for Purcell Security, a NANA Corp. subsidiary.

He currently runs his own consulting firm, through which he works with the Northwest Arctic Borough. He is involved with the borough's land-zoning law and with developing a borough-wide transportation plan.

Ballot said he does not plan to stop work immediately with the borough. "I plan to give some assistance to the planning department until they can take full rein of some of the things that are taking place," he said.

After his selection, Ballot met with the board in Bornite to map out a direction for the organization.

"My biggest concern is the direction the board is going to take Maniilaq. And I'm going to take their concerns and make them mine."

Other finalists for the presidency included Don Argetsinger, a former NANA vice-president, Frank Peterson, an Aleut who is currently living in the lower 48, and Jan Harris.

Harris, who has worked for Maniilaq for eight years, has acted as interim president since Erlich's resignation. Harris stepped down following the meeting and was replace by Helen Bolen.

Harris, who is white, has been leading Maniilaq's new hospital development and construction since 1985 and has been closely involved with the board for the past year. When Erlich assumed the presidency last year, Harris stayed on as a consultant to the board to help with Erlich's transition. She said she will perform a similar function with Ballot, but for a much shorter period than the eight-month contract she had during Erlich's tenure. "What I proposed to the board, and they accepted, is that I would commit to 30 days," she said.

During the 30 day period, Harris will work for two weeks with Ballot. At the end of September, Ballot, Harris and the board of directors will decide if Harris will stay on in some capacity, according to Harris.

Harris called this a crucial period for the organization, saying it was imperative that the board continue to build on the gains she said have been made in the last year.

"It has to do with having a very strong concern whether Maniilaq will succeed as a major health care organization and will be able to continue to improve given the results of this election. And I really have a concern there," Harris said.

With more than 400 employees, the non-profit corporation is the region's largest employer. But in the past several years, Maniilaq has been faced with a string of financial, personnel and licensing problems.

Long-time Maniilaq president, Marie Greene, resigned under pressure from the board last summer after growing concerns over the organization's finances. A month earlier, the federal government had threatened to shut down the organization's senior center because of health violations.

Erlich was hired as Maniilaq's president in August 1992, but then resigned six months later, saying she could not work with the board.

In March, the board voted to shut down the nursing wing of the senior center, and nine elders were moved to nursing homes outside the region. Maniilaq officials said the nursing wing threatened to bankrupt the whole organization.

With no cash reserves on hand, Maniilaq has been struggling to attain financial health.

A financial consultant hired by Maniilaq recently said conservative spending and increased billing could bring the organization into the black by the end of the fiscal year in October.