North Pole council removes mayor after botched contract for repainting candy-cane streetlights

The city council for the Interior Alaska community of North Pole voted unanimously on June 18 to remove Mayor Michael Welch — a Republican who’s also running for a state House seat this year — from office “until the next city election or until … the council determines the mayor is able to perform the duties of Mayor.”

Welch himself joined the council in the unanimous vote. North Pole’s city charter allows removal in cases where the mayor is disabled or otherwise unable to carry out his duties.

The decision followed a June 3 city council meeting that saw members of the council criticize Welch for signing a revised contract to repaint some of the city’s candy-cane-striped streetlights.

The initial contract said the streetlights were about 24 feet tall, but in reality, they are 40 feet, and the painting job cost more than expected.

The amount of the change, signed this spring, exceeded Welch’s unilateral spending authority, but it wasn’t presented to the council until this month.

“We understand that you have a job to do, but there’s no reason you should be coming, asking us for forgiveness rather than asking us for permission,” an unidentified council member said in a YouTube recording of the meeting.

Welch told council members that he didn’t recall signing the change and suggested that could be due to a series of concussions that caused him to seek hospital care.

“Three of these in eight months is pretty bad. We’re talking about concussive injury to the head,” he said.

North Pole has a strong-mayor form of government, meaning the mayor, rather than an unelected city manager, exercises executive control of city functions.

Welch was replaced on a temporary basis by Mayor Pro Tem Chandra Clack.

Welch, a Republican, is the lone challenger to incumbent Rep. Mike Prax, R-North Pole. On Monday, Welch’s cellphone was unable to accept calls, and inquiries left at his home phone were not returned.

The deadline to withdraw from this year’s legislative elections is June 29.

Originally published by the Alaska Beacon, an independent, nonpartisan news organization that covers Alaska state government.