PETERSBURG, ALASKA <br />
"I need to get down to Colorado to help with my parents. And then I needed to spend blocks of time working on my house in Cordova, so I can get it sold this summer. So I’ve got plenty of work. It’s not paid work. But I’ve got to get these things done and out of the way and dealt with at this point," he says.<br />
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Hahn says he got along well with elected officials and was not urged to leave. Previous City Manager Rich Underkofler left under pressure after conflicts with some council members.<br />
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Mayor Al Dwyer says Public Works Director Karl Hagerman will fill in until a new manager is found. Dwyer says he’s not looking forward to the hiring process.<br />
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"It’s going to take a long time and a lot of money to get a replacement. And then we have to utilize our public works director, take him away from that job. The process, it makes a guy weary just thinking about it," he says. <br />
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Hagerman has filled in during past manager transitions. He says he and other staff will be able to maintain Petersburg’s direction.<br />
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"I’m disappointed to see our current manager move on. But hopefully the city will be able to continue the momentum on several projects and important issues. We’ll be fine," he says.<br />
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The city manager’s resignation did not come up during Monday’s regular council meeting.<br />
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Scott Hahn lists work toward forming a borough as one of his administration’s accomplishments. Others include work on harbor improvements.<br />
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"We weren’t focused on that well enough. And we didn’t have them in our project list. We’ve continued our support for the library, which is great. Dealing with the union is a very difficult situation. People want more, but we don’t have more. So I’ve had to bear some of the brunt of that. But that’s a function of my job."<br />
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Question: "What do you see as the biggest challenges for your replacement?"<br />
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Answer: "Right now it’s health insurance. It’s astronomical what’s going on with the proposals to this town and other towns like us. That’s going to be a big budgetary issue."<br />
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Hahn says Petersburg’s largest challenge is to keep its status as a top-notch fishing port.<br />
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He says he wishes he could stay and help pursue that goal. <br />
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"It’s unfortunate for me because I love this town. It’s a great place to live and it’s one of the best jobs I’ve ever had. My wife and I and my kids have sacrificed being together to try to hope things would work out. But that isn’t the case right now. So it’s only fair to clear out and let somebody else step in and do some things. And if in the future if anything works out I’ll be able to commit to something like this again," he says.<br />
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