Unalaska, AK – An Unalaska resident is planning to file an ethics complaint with the Alaska Public Offices Commission later this week over this month's city elections.

Jeff Hancock said he's preparing one and possibly more complaints over Mayor Shirley Marquardt's conduct in the run-up to the October 2 elections. The complaint stems from an e-mail sent by Marquardt on August 29 to two seafood industry executives concerning union organizing activities in Unalaska. Several local unions were supporting Shannon Morrison, Marquardt's challenger in the election, who she beat by a margin of just five votes.

Hancock is arguing that because the e-mail was sent from the mayor's official city account, it constitutes a violation of election law.

"You can't use your city e-mail address to send out campaign materials designed to disadvantage your opponent and influence the outcome of an election," he said today.

Hancock has also requested that the city administration release all other e-mails sent from the mayor's account from August 1 to October 3, the day after the election, and he said if he finds any evidence of misconduct in those, they'll be included in the complaint as well. He said he's been told the city's attorney is currently reviewing those e-mails for release.

Marquardt was unavailable for comment this morning.

Hancock has also asked the City Council to consider an ethics policy. Outgoing councilmember Rocky Caldero introduced the idea at last week's council meeting, and discussion of an ethics policy is on the agenda for the next meeting, on November 13. Many other municipalities, even small ones, have these policies in place, and Caldero said it's been on the Unalaska council's radar for some time now.

"It's something that's been on the books for a while, on a list of things to do, and we just haven't gotten around to it," he said. "We know that city staff has all the information we need--it's just something we need to do to move forward, and get it implemented in our city ordinances."

Caldero said the council is currently reviewing the policies in place in other cities around the state for ideas.