Anchorage’s Chief Human Ressources officer Niki Tshibaka abruptly resigned on Monday due to an “increasingly toxic hostile, demoralizing, and hostile workplace.”
The mayor Dave Bronson announced Tshibaka’s resignation in a letter to the public on Monday afternoon. The statement didn’t specify the reason Tshibaka quit and a spokesperson for Bronson did not respond to questions.
His resignation note was published by his lawyer. In the letter, Tshibaka says his resignation is effective immediately.
“I am no longer able to work in an increasingly hostile, toxic and demoralizing workplace which makes the positive change and forward momentum that the people of Anchorage are entitled to and expect from this Administration almost difficult,” Tshibaka wrote in the letter addressed to Bronson.
Tshibaka’s resignation is the latest in a string resignations and firings of high-ranking city officials. The most well-known departure came just two months ago when Mayor Bronson dismissed then-Municipal Manager Amy Demboski.. Through her attorney Demboski claimed that she was guilty of several illegal, racist and illegal actions in a lengthy letter. She warned her that she could pursue a lawsuit for wrongful termination and demanded that the company resolve the matter outside of the court.
Similar to Demboski, Tshibaka took his position with the administration when Bronson became president at the end of July in 2021. Tshibaka is involved in numerous prominent controversy since.
In November that year, he stood up for Bronson’s then-nominee for the position of health director Joe Gerace, calling initial accusations against Gerace “pure persona murder.” Gerace resigned from the post of health director months later, shortly after an investigation report discovered his fraudulent resume.
Anchorage Assembly co-chair Chris Constant stated in an interview on the afternoon of Monday that he did anticipate the resignation of Tshibaka, and was unsure of the reason he quit his job. Constant mentioned numerous issues throughout Tshibaka’s tenurethat went beyond Gerace.
“If you take a look at the HR processes of the municipality and the hiring procedures currently we’re losing a huge number of employees,” Constant said. “And our workforce is nearing an end of the road I’d say. The whole thing goes directly to Tshibaka. Tshibaka.”
In a rare action, Assembly leaders recently demanded Tshibaka in order to give evidence about the hiring process, the investigation, and eventually the resignation of Gerace.
Constant declared that Tshibaka had also been the focus of a new subpoena related the case to Gerace and was scheduled to make a statement at the Assembly meeting on Tuesday night.
“And this is that we need to look over the subpoena procedure and determine who the proper person to receive the subpoena is to receive the documents,” Constant said.
When he resigned, in his letter Tshibaka wrote that Gerace’s HR department was instructed to screen and then onboard Gerace “with one-business day timeframe.”
“As you’re aware, HR conducted its vetting and onboarding process for executive appointments in accordance to long-running policies, procedures and procedures that predated the time of your Administration,” Tshibaka wrote. “The department was able to professionally carry out its traditional role in relation to executive appointments, utilizing these procedures and practices even when time constraints were tight.”
In the past, Tshibaka was also the focus of an suit for wrongful termination brought by Heather MacAlpine, the former director of Anchorage’s Office of Equal Opportunity. Tshibaka received criticism for her support for the deputy director of libraries Judy Eledge as she was being probed by MacAlpine for allegations of racist and insensitive statements to the staff. Tshibaka was wearing a black t-shirt with large, white letters, “I’m with Judy,” a reference to Eledge in an advisory meeting of the library in which Eledge was under investigation. The city’s Ombudsman “walled away” Tshibaka from investigating any complaints from library staff.
The letter of Tshibaka did not make reference to the suit nor of Eledge. Tshibaka wrote that since 2022 Tshibaka as well as HR management had identified and begun taking steps that would improve efficiency in efficiency in the HR department.
“I believe of the fact that you and your HR Department will continue to serve you as well as the Municipality with enthusiasm professionality, dedication, and determination throughout the duration of Your Administration,” he wrote. He concluded: “It has been a privilege to serve the citizens in Anchorage.”
Prior to working for under the Bronson administration Tshibaka served as the assistant commissioner for the Department of Education under Gov. Mike Dunleavy. He’s also the husband of Kelly Tshibaka, a Republican candidate who ran unsuccessfully in the race against Lisa Murkowski last year for U.S. Senate.
In the statement issued by the office of the mayor, Bronson appointed Raylene Griffith as the interim HR director in the interim. Bronson expressed gratitude to Tshibaka to Tshibaka for her “dedicated dedication to people and employees of the Anchorage Municipality.”
Since Bronson began his term on July 20, 2021 a number of top-level officials have been appointed but then dismissed or forced to resign. Before the resignation of Gerace, an previous Health director David Morgan, was fired within an entire month in office while the mayor was fired within less than one year.
The acting municipal attorney, Blair Christensen, announced at the beginning the month of the month of January that she was also going to quit. Her last day will be Wednesday.
The Bronson’s initial first and second chief of staff have also quit. Many ex-employees, such as MacAlpine have filed lawsuits for wrongful dismissal.
Vice Chief of Staff Brice Wilbanks, Deputy Chief of Staff, also left abruptly this month.
Bronson hasn’t publically addressed the reasons for his departure due to confidentiality issues regarding issues involving personnel.
The Alaska Public Media’s Jeremy Hsieh contributed to this report.
