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Chris Hladick to join Governor's cabinet

City of Unalaska

Former Dillingham city manager will head Dept. of Commerce, Community, and Economic Development.

KUCB, Unalaska:  After 14 years as Unalaska’s city manager, Chris Hladick is leaving to join the cabinet of Gov. Bill Walker.

Hladick is a former Dillingham city manager, serving seven years in that post, and also four years as manager and public works director in Galena.

He was appointed as the new commissioner for the department of commerce, community and economic development on Tuesday. 

It’s a wide-ranging job that regulates everything from alcohol -- and now, legal marijuana -- to consumer energy projects.

Hladick was traveling Tuesday afternoon and wasn’t immediately available for comment. But the governor’s spokesperson Katie Marquette says Hladick was recruited for the position.

"The governor sought out Chris because of his track record in both Unalaska and then other rural communities that he’s worked," Marquette says. "He was very impressed by the tremendous amount of infrastructure that Chris has helped put into place in Unalaska."

In the past, Hladick was a city manager in Dillingham and Galena. He’s overseen major capital projects in Unalaska, ranging from a new boat harbor to a new powerhouse. Hladick also worked on a settlement with the Environmental Protection Agency for a new wastewater treatment plant.

That’s left a significant mark on the town, says Unalaska Mayor Shirley Marquardt. And Hladick made a big impression with the now-governor when he traveled to Unalaska for a campaign visit last fall.

"[Hladick] is very well known around the state as not only being a successful manager, but he’s a very skilled administrator and he’s a talented natural leader. And that’s tough to find in one package," Marquardt says. "And when you do, people look for you, they find you and they want you on their team, and that’s what the governor did."

Hladick wasn’t looking for a new job, according to the mayor, but he did disclose that the governor was interested in bringing him on board earlier this month.

"I think you put a challenge in front of Chris Hladick, and he just can’t help but want to solve it," Marquardt says. "Which is a really nice change, because a lot of people spend a lot of time sitting around talking about the problem over and over and over, and when you find that person that says, 'I don’t want to talk about the problem; we know what the problem is, I want to talk about solutions,' then you’ve got something."

She says it’s not clear when Hladick will vacate his job in Unalaska, or who his replacement might be.