The Kodiak Island Borough assembly held interviews on Oct. 30 with two law firms shortlisted to replace the borough attorney under a contract that expires Nov. 30, 2025. Staff said proposals were solicited in August, returned Sept. 26, and the mayor and assembly had been asked to score the responses before interviews.

Why it matters: the borough attorney provides day-to-day legal advice on ordinances, procurement, land use, personnel, litigation and other municipal matters. The assembly asked targeted questions about municipal practice, conflicts and response time to staff requests.

What each firm told the assembly

- Germaine, Dunigan & Owens (JDO): Max Holmquist, presenting for JDO, described the firm as a nearly 50-year Alaska practice with a dedicated municipal team. Holmquist said the firm currently serves boroughs and cities across Alaska and that he would be the boroughs primary point of contact. He listed proposed team members with municipal specialties (labor/employment, litigation, public contracting) and said JDO had proposed a reduced hourly rate "because we know that financial times are not good for municipalities across the state right now." Holmquist said the firm frequently interprets Title 29 and handles municipal litigation, police personnel matters and public-records cases.

- Landy Bennett Blumstein: Leslie Mead and Jackson Morawski presented the Anchorage-based firms municipal bench and litigation capabilities. Mead emphasized a "deep bench" of 24 attorneys and said the office aims to develop long-term relationships and provide in-person support; the firm indicated willingness to travel to Kodiak and proposed periodic on-island visits. Morawski emphasized institutional knowledge from representing boroughs and municipalities of varying sizes and cited litigation and administrative hearing experience.

Key questions and responses

- Conflicts with AMLJIA: Both firms told the assembly they were not aware of conflicts arising from the Alaska Municipal League Joint Insurance Association membership and that past work with AML/AMLJIA would not pose a barrier. Both said they would check conflicts for new matters and, where necessary, seek waivers.

- Title 29 and municipal code experience: Holmquist said JDO frequently interprets Title 29 and handles matters specific to second-class boroughs; both firms cited experience with Alaska municipal code issues, property tax and land-use litigation.

- Litigation and courtroom experience: Both firms said they have significant municipal litigation experience, including police personnel matters, taxation/sales issues and administrative hearings. Holmquist described defending municipalities across the state through relationships with risk-alliance panels; Mead and Morawski cited work on complex litigation and administrative appeals.

- Coordination and responsiveness: Both firms emphasized communication with the manager and clerk and recommended a single point of contact on staff. Landy Bennett Blumstein offered a single primary contact and an alternate and said the firm would strive to respond to urgent matters within an hour or two when requested. Holmquist said his approach is to be integrated into decision making and to respond quickly to time-sensitive requests for staff and elected officials.

Quotes on philosophy

- JDOs Max Holmquist: "Our guiding principle in the municipal practice is to always act in the public's best interest."
- Landy Bennetts Leslie Mead: "We have a deep bench... we really are eager to get to know and understand our clients so we can sort of develop a relationship."

Next steps

Staff said interviews complete the scheduled presentations; the assembly will deliberate and hold an executive session next week to consider appointments and the contract. The current borough attorney contract ends 11/30/2025; staff noted the RFP was posted Aug. 8 and bids were returned Sept. 26.

Clarifying details from the hearing

- Current borough attorney contract expiration date: Nov. 30, 2025 (as stated by staff).
- Request for proposals issued: Aug. 8, 2025; proposals returned Sept. 26, 2025.
- Firms interviewed in person: Germaine, Dunigan & Owens (Max Holmquist) and Landy Bennett Blumstein (Leslie Mead, Jackson Morawski). JDO proposed a municipal team including labor and construction specialists; Landy Bennett emphasized in-person availability and multiple on-island visits.

Speakers (selected)

- Max Holmquist, Attorney, Germaine, Dunigan & Owens (JDO).
- Leslie Mead, Partner, Landy Bennett Blumstein.
- Jackson Morawski, Associate, Landy Bennett Blumstein.
- Nova (staff) introduced procurement timeline and interview logistics.

Provenance (evidence spans from transcript)

- topicintro: transcript excerpt (tc_start: "00:22:11") "The current borough attorney's contract will expire on 11/30/2025. A request for proposal went out on 08/08/2025, and the bids were returned on September 26." (speaker: Nova)
- topicfinish: transcript excerpt (tc_end: "01:40:37") "Thank you. And is there anything else that I that we haven't addressed that you would like to tell us about the service you could provide for us?" (speaker: Leslie Mead)

Salience and timing

Overall salience: 0.60 — justification: legal counsel affects daily governance and liability exposure but is largely an internal administrative procurement with primary local relevance. Attention level: medium; assembly action is required to select counsel before contract expiration.