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Ketchikan resident urges resignation of council member Matani after state settlement
Summary
At the June 25 public-comment period, resident Julie Steiner said a state settlement involving Council member Matani undermined public trust and called on him to resign, arguing elected office requires honesty and integrity. No council action followed at the meeting.
Julie Steiner, a Ketchikan resident and local business owner, used the council’s public-comment time to call for the resignation of Council member Matani, saying a recent state settlement raised serious questions about public trust.
"Public trust is a confidence that citizens place in the people they elect to act with honesty, integrity, and in the best interest of our community," Steiner said during the June 25 meeting, arguing that the settlement with the state of Alaska over an investigation into deceptive sales practices damages that confidence. "For these reasons, I believe Mr. Matani ... should resign from the Ketchikan City Council."
Steiner told the council she was not seeking to re-litigate the state action but said the question for local leaders is whether a person who has been the subject of a state-enforced action involving consumer trust can continue to serve in a role that depends on public confidence. She framed the request as accountability rather than punishment.
The council did not take formal action on the demand during the special meeting. No response from Matani is recorded in the meeting transcript, and no motion or referral to an ethics body was made while the meeting remained focused on the FY2027 budget workshop.
Next steps: The demand remained a public comment on the record. If council members or staff choose to pursue any formal inquiry, that would require separate agenda time and any procedural steps spelled out in council rules or applicable municipal code.
Provenance: Topic first introduced in public comment (SEG 033–SEG 106).
