Ombudsman selection committee delays recruitment decisions, plans to reconvene

The joint Ombudsman Selection Committee of the Alaska Legislature met April 20 and postponed decisions on how to recruit a new state ombudsman established under AS 24.55.010, agreeing to reconvene within days to finalize advertisement venues, the length of the recruitment period and whether applicant names will be released.

Committee Chair Stedman opened the organizational meeting and invited Stacy Bentley, human resources manager for the Legislative Affairs Agency, to describe prior selection practice and options for advertising and applicant disclosure. Bentley said the committee’s usual recruitment vehicle is Workplace Alaska and noted, “The Workplace Alaska is the state. It’s the executive branch recruitment system, but we use it all the time for our recruitments.” She explained the executive-branch minimum posting is 10 days and that the committee could opt for longer postings; the 2017 recruitment for this position was posted for 30 calendar days and produced about 100 applicants, she said.

Bentley also summarized past public-record practice: in prior recruitments the committee released the names of all applicants and provided the resume only for the selected candidate when the nomination was forwarded for confirmation. She told the committee staff could narrow public lists to “qualified applicants” if the committee preferred not to release names for every applicant.

Members discussed the trade-offs between transparency and confidentiality. Senator Kiel said he generally “lean[s] toward more transparency, so at least our finalists, if not all qualified applicants,” and recommended advertising on Workplace Alaska plus Alaskan newspapers’ online platforms. Other members cautioned that some applicants do not want their job searches public because their current employers might learn they are applying.

Committee members weighed whether to run a shorter, session‑ending recruitment (for example, 10–15 days) so the committee could complete selection before the session adjourns, or to run a longer, 30‑day recruitment and convene later, potentially using virtual meetings. Representative Tom Makosse asked about typical time frames; Bentley confirmed the minimum is 10 days and that the committee may extend the posting during the recruitment if qualified applicants are not received.

The committee did not make firm decisions on the recruitment bulletin’s language, whether to advertise in print newspapers in addition to online postings, or on the degree of applicant-name disclosure. Members agreed to consult the two house members who were absent, meet with them to bring them up to speed, and reconvene within a day or two to finalize the recruitment plan. The meeting was adjourned at 03:20 p.m.

No formal votes or appointments were taken at the April 20 meeting; the committee left the recruitment parameters and applicant-disclosure policy pending until it can include absent members.