Board Remembers Director Ron Miller Then Goes Into Executive Session

Redistricting Board Monday May 16, 2011
10:30am
Present: John Torgerson, Marie Greene, Jim Holm, Bob Brody
By phone: PeggyAnn McConnochie (stuck in Juneau: great weather, bad plane)
Staff: Taylor Bickford, Michael White

Others: Bill McAllister (Channel 11), Lisa Demer (ADN) Randy Ruedrich (Republican Party), Rick Mueller (AFFR).
Problems with the streaming. [They weren't able to call out on their phones for a while when they were to go onto streaming, so the streaming audio didn't work. They were working on it and trying to get it up for the short period when the board comes out of executive session - maybe around 11:45 or noon]

10:38am - Called to Order
Torherson: Ron’s funeral to go to when we finish up. Leave here - [staff members] Taylor [Bickford] and Jim [Ellis] are pall bearers, we need to be gone by 12:30.


Approve the agenda. Approved.
Motion to go into executive session.
Brody: Perhaps we should enter on the record the absence of our director.
Torgerson: I suppose we could.
Brody: Since our last meeting Ron Miller died unexpectedly of a heart attack. A shock and surprise for us all. Funeral today.
Holm: I had the chance to spend three days with Ron Miller, driving to Glennallen, Galena, looking at caribou, swans, snow geese. Wonderful time, great weather. Makes you question . . . the time you spend with your family and kids. All precious moments. Got to know him well. Very nice man.
Greene: I too, my condolences to the family. He made me feel comfortable and really appreciate that. Helped me greatly here. We should have a moment of silence.
Torgerson: Services today at 2pm
Brody: Very unpretentious, helped with little things like coffee, Condolences to his family. He was looking forward to being Mr. Mom.
White: He was an extraordinary gentleman. He will be missed. Condolences to his wife and family. Hard to walk up the stairs without thinking about Ron not being here.
Torgerson: Move to executive session.
PeggyAnn: They are trying to board this flight. Maybe I have 30 minutes.


Sepctators cleared from the room.


The Agenda items for Executive Session are:

A: Discussion of personnel matters - presumably they are talking about the now open position of executive director and possibly whether to fill it with Taylor Bickford the assistant director, since he and other staffer Jim Ellis were not included in the executive session.
B: Discussion of potential litigation issues

11:05am - while all the other spectators left, I stayed in the office because I left my camera in the board room when they emptied it for executive session. They just called Taylor and Jim back into the room and I got my camera. I’ll head out now to find wifi so I can post this.