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Letter from the President
BY SARAH OATES | ALASKA CHARR PRESIDENT & CEO
Leadership Changes at AMCO
On April 17 , Glen Klinkhart officially served his last day as Director of the Alcohol & Marijuana Control Office ( AMCO ). During the April 12 meeting of the Alcoholic Beverage Control ( ABC ) Board , I provided testimony thanking Director Klinkhart for his exemplary service to the state of Alaska and partnership with Alaska CHARR .
In my testimony , I requested that the ABC Board instruct the new director ( who was not determined at the time ) to continue some significant projects that Director Klinkhart and I have been collaborating on for two years , including :
• Providing proactive education and resources for the industry . For decades , the only guidance that businesses have received regarding compliance and lawful operation is the ~ 150-page book of very confusing statutes and regulations . Nearly every other state provides one-pagers , access to staff , and other guidance to help operators navigate processes and remain compliant .
• Maintaining consistency across changes in staff and board leadership . Interpretation and application of the laws and rules have varied significantly from one director to another . This creates mass confusion and has forced licensees to make major changes to their operations or floor plans , incurring unnecessary expenses or notices of violations . Some businesses were even informed that they were no longer allowed to operate .
• Continuing efforts to shift enforcement toward a community policing model statewide . Advisory notices – an informal yet effective tool that has been oftignored in lieu of a formal notice of violation ( NOV ) – need should be used in most situations when a violation is occurring . An advisory notice can be a verbal or written notification to a licensee when a violation is taking place , would include a deadline by which the violation needs to be remedied , and is not a permanent mark in a license file ( unlike a NOV ). If the violation continues , then additional enforcement action occurs .
• Development and implementation of an online licensing application system and database . It is no secret that applying for a license through AMCO takes months , if not years , often costing the applicant tens of thousands of dollars in attorney ’ s fees and lost business . An online application system would dramatically reduce processing times and enable businesses to begin operations sooner .
• Forming a standing working group comprised of board , industry , and public health members to function as an advisory group for the board . Nearly all regulations projects put out over the last few years have failed because the drafted language would result in unintended , sometimes significant consequences for the industry . This waste of time and resources can be avoided by forming a standing working group to help flesh out and mitigate potential issues .
On May 8 , my friend and current AAG ( counsel for the ABC Board ), Joan Wilson , will serve as AMCO ’ s new director . My friend , former employee , and AMCO ’ s records and licensing supervisor , Carrie Craig , is serving as interim director until then . I thank Governor Dunleavy and his team for repeatedly contacting me for my input as an industry leader on this extremely important and influential position . Both women are proven leaders and listeners who work extremely well with both the hospitality and marijuana industries , and I am confident that they will continue providing excellent service in their new roles while collaborating with industry leaders .
I send my sincere appreciation and congratulations to Director Klinkhart , who I am now honored to call a friend . Alaska ’ s hospitality industry is better because of him and his service . I hope you all will join me in giving thanks and cheers to Klink and his new adventure with the Department of Revenue !
At your service ,