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Residents urge assembly to stand with federal workers after terminations of local Forest Service employees
Summary
Residents RD and Madonna Parks told the assembly they oppose recent terminations by the U.S. Forest Service that affected 10 local employees and urged the borough to declare support for the federal workforce.
RD Parks, speaking for himself (and joined by Madonna Parks), addressed the assembly at its Feb. 18 meeting to protest the recent termination of 10 U.S. Forest Service employees who live in Petersburg.
Parks said the firings were not performance-based and warned losing those employees would leave “a gap in our community,” listing volunteer roles Forest Service employees often fill, from coaching to search-and-rescue and other civic activities. “These terminations were inflicted on employees that were still in their probationary period...They are predominantly young, motivated people starting out their careers,” Parks said.
Parks urged the assembly to “come together for the benefit of this community” and declare that it stands behind the Alaska federal workforce, calling the recent firings a “random slash and burn” and criticizing the process as lacking transparency and methodology.
Assembly members acknowledged the concern and thanked Parks for bringing the issue forward. Several members referenced ongoing outreach to state and federal representatives and said they would consider drafting letters or other measures to highlight impacts on local workers and services.
Why it matters The termination of local federal employees may have broader community impacts beyond the immediate job losses because Parks said many of those employees serve in volunteer roles critical to local civic life.
