Police Building
Dear Editor: In reference to the comment in June 5, 2018, Letter to the Editor,
“I wonder, will a fancy, new police department building, …….”,
Of course it will assist this community in all ways. If the police are not able to function in a safe, effective environment then it does affect their efficiency. No one has stated that the new police department needs to be fancy. It needs to be a SAFE environment for the police officers and the inmates. If you do not understand how it is not safe then please take a tour. Presently it is a biological, chemical, and physical hazard.
Lorraine Inez Lil, Sitka
Accident Thanks
Dear Editor: Sitka is a very special place. It is filled with a community that cares for one another, and has your back if you live here. There have been many moments in this town when one of our residents has needed help in a crisis, and this city rises up to any occasion with compassion and strength. My son Jacob and I can truly attest to that after an unfortunate accident happened on April 28, when Jacob was engulfed in flames after a gas can exploded at a campfire.
Jeremy and I would like to thank all of you for your kindness, and generosity throughout our family crisis. We had never expected such an amazing response to our friends’ Kat Forrester and Janet Schwartz “GoFundMe” post. We are filled with gratitude for all of you, our dear and treasured friends, and family. You gave us the strength and love we needed after Jacob’s unfortunate accident.
We thank the medical team at SEARHC for their quick response in knowing an immediate medevac was needed, and making sure Jacob was kept safe until the jet arrived. Our medevac team was top notch, and without them I am scared to think what could have been.
We also received numerous gifts, cards, and checks that were given on our behalf. This has helped us immensely during this trying time in our lives. However, this was not what we cherished most. What we cherish the most is all of you, and to know how much we are cared for and loved means more than anything else to all of us.
It is because of this strength, and the heart of the people in this small but amazing community, that Jacob has fared as well as he has. He is healing very well, to the amazement of his doctors in Seattle and here in Sitka. He defied the odds when it came to the depth of his burns and the possibility of grafting, by healing so miraculously. Healing comes so much more quickly when you feel supported, encouraged and loved that you defy odds and shock medical teams!
I had the opportunity and the true blessing of communicating daily with those who have done just that, and paid it forward to me when I needed it most. It was daily (and often three to four times a day), that these ladies sent me messages, gave me advice and helped keep others informed for me, thank you from the bottom of my heart, Carrie Spackman and Valorie Nelson.
Jeremy and I would like to particularly point out the friends that our son has, especially those who will truly remain heroes in our hearts, Max Johnson and Emmitt Andersen. Your quick response in this tragic accident kept Jacob from enduring more serious burns. Thank you, you both are shining stars.
Each and every one of you deserve to be called out individually, you truly do. However, my post would be too long for the paper and too long for Facebook. Please know that I love each and every one of you and our family is blessed to have you in our lives. We know what it means to feel as though “my cup runneth over.” It is an amazing feeling, and has provided so much healing for all of us.
Special thanks to:
–The Thorwards, you have always been there for us, we love you!
–The Johnsons and the Andersens, you are simply the best you have done so much for us, we thank you over and over again!
–Annmarie and Ruger Parker, your visit gave us the crucial turning point we both needed in those beginning stages.
–Stacy and Liam Boles, your visit also provided that extra step in his healing.
–The City of Sitka, all my coworkers who not only encouraged us, but were so generous with their sick-bank donations so I could remain an employee. Eternally grateful to all of you!
–The Sitka Adventist Church who gave gifts for Jacob and provided much needed support for Jeremy and William.
–Kimberly Wenz, Patrick O’Donnell and Mary Magnuson for the gifts, the opportunity for my boys to have dinner if they needed it at the Mean Queen. You are all so dear to me.
–Sherry Aitken, Greg Knight and Gabe Knight, thanks for talking with me when I could; you are such a dear friend. In times of trouble, you will know who loves you most, and we most certainly do.
Jeremy and Laurie Serka, Sitka
SHAREHOLDERS COMMENT:
Shee Atika Corporate Expenses Raise Questions
By Norma Perkins, Nicole Rogers
and Clarice Johnson,
Shee Atiká Owners
Shee Atiká, Inc. is a private for-profit corporation organized in 1974 under the terms of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA). Shee Atiká’s mission is to “preserve and enhance our culture for all generations of shareholders, and to provide benefits to shareholders consistently and on an equitable basis.”
Are the current management and board upholding our mission statement? The answer is a firm NO! As Shee Aitka’s revenue has declined, the board has reduced and eliminated shareholder benefits. There are no active services provided to preserve and enhance our Tlingit culture outside of providing scholarships to eligible shareholders. Shee Atiká does not offer culturally relevant activities and does not reach out to our many elders to preserve an almost extinct language and traditional Native knowledge.
Many Shee Atiká, Inc. shareholders assumed their board of directors and upper level management were being effective stewards and upholding their fiduciary duties in managing our corporation. As assets and profits declined, we became increasingly concerned for the survival of Shee Atiká. Will our corporation be bankrupt in the near future? What are our board of directors and highly paid officers doing to protect our legacy?
About four years ago several shareholders of Shee Atiká, Inc. formed a Facebook support group to discuss concerns regarding the decline in their corporation’s financial standing. Researching our annual reports, the financial statements became an eye opener for many. Our once prosperous corporation’s total revenue of $180 million in 2010 drastically dropped to $3 million in 2015. Reported in 2017 revenue was at $7.3 million; however, $4.9 million is from the sale of our land. Shee Atiká’s total revenue has remained stagnant from 2011 through 2017. The reality of not having a corporation for future generations became a distinct possibility.
The board of directors are elected to “manage the business, affairs and property of the Corporation.” The board majority’s proven track record of maintaining status quo is evident as Ken Cameron will remain CEO/President another year. After our May 20, 2018, annual meeting, the board majority re-appointed him. We find it difficult to believe all board members agree with the direction Mr. Cameron is taking Shee Atiká, and we urge them to act on behalf of the shareholders who elected them.
Ken Cameron was appointed as CEO/President/Chairman in 2010. He served as Chairman of the Board from 1986-1993 and again from 2008 through mid-2018. During the last seven years status quo board and top management have not successfully managed our corporation based on our deteriorating financial health. In the corporate “real” world, a CEO with this track record would have been fired long ago. Yet, our board of directors continues to reappoint Mr. Cameron and provide annual salary increases. Mr. Cameron’s total compensation for 2017 is $418,534; an increase of $6,512 from 2016 as disclosed in a public document called the Shee Atiká proxy statement.
Our ancestors fought for the land given to us under ANCSA, including 22,000 acres selected at Cube Cove on Admiralty Island. Sadly, our inheritance is slowly being sold off. In 2003, former Shee Atiká President/CEO, Bob Loiselle, surveyed shareholders to determine what “we” should do with our Cube Cove land: 63% preferred to retain the land and for the corporation to generate income on the land now (2003) rather than in the future.
In 2010, President/CEO, Mr. Cameron, again surveyed shareholders: “Should Shee Atiká transfer ownership of Cube Cove lands to the Federal Government if full and fair value is received and shareholder subsistence rights to use the Cube Cove lands are guaranteed?” Voting options were: 1) “Yes, generate income by transfer of ownership to Federal Government”, and 2) “No, continue to own Cube Cove lands even if no income is ever expected.” With no other viable investment options or land swap opportunities presented to the shareholders, the board approved the use of this survey in their justification to sell the land back to the U.S. Forest Service.
What upsets many shareholders is the sale of Cube Cove incurred exorbitant corporate expenses as reported in Shee Atiká annual reports from 2014 - 2017. Revenue realized in 2016 and 2017 was a combined amount of $8,883,064, while total expenses so far are $8,798,677. Although, the multi year-to-date expenses are 48% of the anticipated revenue of $18.3 million; not all this revenue is in the bank yet. Further, we were told at our 2018 annual meeting to anticipate further added expenses from the continued sale of the remaining Cube Cove parcels. To date, the costs incurred to sell our land back to the federal government are excessive! Was Shee Atiká given “full and fair value” of their land? Many shareholders feel strongly we were taken advantage of by the federal government and disenfranchised by our own corporation.
At the very least, final sale of Cube Cove to the U.S. Forest Service, along with proposed sale agreement, should have been brought back to the shareholders for input and vote. It remains a controversial issue as not all the parcels have been paid for and shareholders have wondered if the remaining unpaid parcels can be retained for future generations.
Through all the financial uncertainty over the past 7 years, Shee Atiká appears to be selling our land legacy to cover daily operations for expenses such as pay increases, creating highly paid upper level management positions: Sr. Vice President, Chief Investment Officer, VP of Government Services, while cutting shareholder benefits. When will our board exercise their fiduciary responsibility and hire an effective individual with appropriate leadership skills, knowledge, education, and experience to perform at the level of a CEO/President? Our group, Shee Atiká Owners, continues to work diligently to elect independent candidates to the board in order to make positive and effective change happen. It is time our board stop ignoring shareholders, listen and acknowledge our concerns.
