Togiak mayor tries to oust Ramey from City Council

MARY LOCHNER

October 09, 2008 at 12:23PM AKST

It’s no secret in Togiak – Mayor Gary Carlos and City Council member Kevin Ramey aren’t exactly best friends.

Now the rift has escalated, with what Ramey says are attempts by the mayor to get Ramey kicked off City Council.

Ramey received a signed letter from Carlos dated Sept. 19 that put him on notice that, at the Togiak City Council’s regular meeting Sept. 23, the council would discuss Ramey’s “behavior and conduct as a City Council member,” due to alleged “unethical actions” and “false criminal allegations directed toward City Council members and city employees,” which are not specified in the letter.

A document, “Special Report to the City Council regarding conduct and actions of city council member, Kevin Francis Ramey,” dated Sept. 19 and based on a Togiak Police Department investigation of Ramey, is more specific. It lambasts Ramey for past felony convictions; accuses him of subscribing to an anti-government ideology called the “sovereign citizens movement”; says he has “consistently opposed smooth functioning of local government,” and falsely accused Togiak Police Chief Aaron Parker, the preparer of the report, as well as council members, of crimes; represented the City Council without authorization to a state department; and lied on public record.

There are no criminal complaints associated with the police department’s report on its investigation of Ramey.

“I did prepare a report to the mayor and City Council,” Parker said in regard to the report on Ramey. “However, there are some specific legal issues that would preclude me from discussing this to a great extent. I want to protect the rights of Kevin Ramey.”

Carlos did not comment on the investigation of Ramey other than to say he thought it shouldn’t merit media coverage. The mayor noted that the City Council voted to sanction Ramey for misconduct after its discussion of the report on him during the Sept. 23 regular meeting, essentially expressing official disapproval of his actions. He didn’t say what specific consequences that might entail. Ramey said there were no consequences to go along with the sanction, only that it was an official expression of the council’s “censure.” Five of the six council members who were present at the Sept. 23 meeting voted in favor of the sanction, Togiak city clerk Margie Coopchiak said.  

Ramey said his felony convictions are decades old, are not relevant to his conduct now, and he makes no secret of them. He described the report’s allegations of his being anti-government as absurd, and denied the others were true.

Carlos also apparently called on other resources in an attempt to remove Ramey. A copy of an e-mail Carlos handed out to the council during its regular meeting Tuesday, Sept. 23, is addressed to attorney Thomas Wang and dated Sept. 20. It states, “The council is looking for a direction as to how to deal with the crap we are getting from this council member ASAP.”

In the signed letter Carlos sent to Ramey, he warns the council might censure Ramey, levy sanctions against him, or remove him from the council after the discussion of his “misconduct” during the council meeting.

But Wang’s Sept. 23 e-mail response dashed any hope of immediate removal of any council member.

“The law gives great weight to the will of the electorate and will not lightly allow other elected officials to remove one of their fellow members,” Wang’s e-mail states. He also notes proceeding with removal could only occur at “significant legal risk.”

Wang confirmed in a telephone interview he is the author of the e-mail response to Carlos’ query, a copy of which was handed out at the Sept. 23 city council meeting. The city of Togiak has been a client of the firm Sedor, Wendlandt and Wang, LLC, which also represents Southwest Region School District, for a little more than a year, Wang said.

Carlos’ moves came just two weeks before Togiak’s Oct. 7 municipal elections. Unlike many communities, Togiak residents do not elect their mayor. Rather, they elect the City Council, which every year after municipal elections votes to appoint a mayor from among its members.

Carlos was up for re-election Oct. 7, competing for Seat D with Isaac Tuday and Norine Antone. His son, council member Sean Carlos, competed with Andrew Franklin for Seat G. George Arkanakyak Sr. ran for Seat F unopposed. Ramey is not up for re-election.

Mary Lochner can be contacted at 907-348-2438, or 800-770-9830, ext. 438.