Assembly orders ethics review after debate over borough's use of Apple Core Strategies for grant writing

A debate over the borough's contracting with Apple Core Strategies dominated the March 2 Bristol Bay Borough Assembly meeting and prompted the assembly to authorize the ethics committee to open a formal investigation.

Borough manager James Wilson explained that the borough retained Apple Core Strategies (Mary Swain's firm) to pursue large federal marine grants and that the firm had helped secure a demonstration PATH grant. Wilson said the contract was consistent with borough code and that no family member participated in the vendor selection. "We followed your policies to a t," he told the assembly, responding to concerns about transparency and selection procedures.

Several assembly members and residents said the process produced poor optics and that the assembly should have been alerted earlier. Assembly member questions focused on whether older code provisions (e.g., waiting periods for former assembly members contracting with the borough, and Title 17 RFP thresholds) had been followed and on the transparency of billing records that show charges to borough accounts.

Resident Irene Hildy told the assembly she had filed an ethics complaint on Feb. 3 related to contracting and manager conduct and said the response materials were provided to decision makers before she received them. Hildy said she had also filed an Alaska Bar Association grievance concerning an attorney involved in the review and that public-records requests related to Apple Core Solutions LLC were still outstanding.

Mary Swain, speaking on her own behalf, said Apple Core Strategies entered into a written grant-writing agreement at the borough manager's request, that she is an independent contractor (not a borough employee), and that no compensation was tied to grant outcomes. "There was no secret agreement, no undisclosed agreement, and no compensation tied to any outcome," she said and welcomed a formal review of procurement procedures.

After executive-session discussion, the assembly voted to authorize the ethics committee to conduct a formal hearing under borough code (referencing sections 2.15.0.05 and 2.15.0.055), to issue a notice of investigation and to obtain records and additional information for the review.

Next steps: The ethics committee will proceed with a formal investigation and staff will respond to outstanding public-records requests. The assembly directed staff to improve transparency and reporting around significant contracts and to return findings as required.

(Reporting notes: direct quotes and procedural actions are taken from the March 2 transcript; the ethics authorization was resolved in public session after executive-session deliberations.)