From Sean Cockerham in Juneau –

Sealaska CEO Chris McNeil today called the controversial comments that state Sen. Albert Kookesh made to the Craig City Council earlier this month an “incongruous choice of words." McNeil said it’s unfortunate the media is focusing on them rather than the issue of Sealaska’s lands bill in Congress.

Kookesh, an Angoon Democrat who represents Craig in the Legislature, is drawing ethics allegations after coming to the city council meeting to lobby on behalf of the Sealaska bill. Kookesh, who is Sealaska’s board chair, brought up the city’s funding requests to the Legislature as the council talked about whether to send Congress a letter opposing the Sealaska bill.

"I am the state senator that represents Craig. I'm not a vindictive person," Kookesh told the council. "I see you're going to have your 2010 capital projects on the table here tonight. And who's it going to go to? It's going to go to me. And to (Rep.) Bill Thomas, who is also a Sealaska board member. We have to be good neighbors."

‘There are times you are going to need my help and Bill Thomas' help," Kookesh said. "And this is a time we need yours."

Sealaska CEO McNeil’s statement today described it as a “brief, unguarded moment,” and praised Kookesh as a dedicated and passionate advocate for Southeast Alaska villages.

Here’s McNeil’s full statement:

Statement of Sealaska Corporation CEO Chris E. McNeil, Jr. on Recent
Comments Made by Sealaska Chair Albert Kookesh At Craig City
Council.

For the past several years Sealaska has been meeting with
communities throughout Southeast Alaska to encourage their comments
and suggestions related to our entitlement land legislation. This
legislation will protect jobs and provide a foundation for Sealaska
economic development activities to continue in the region.

In a recent meeting with the Craig City Council, our corporation's
passion to finalize its Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA) land
entitlement selections came to a boil. It's understandable but
unfortunate that recent media coverage from the Craig City Council
meeting has focused attention on an incongruous choice of words by our Board Chair, Albert Kookesh, rather than the critical issue of Sealaska’s lands legislation.

Chair Kookesh and the Sealaska board are dedicated advocates of
Sealaska's land legislation because they know the economic condition of our villages is critical. This legislation will provide positive economic
impacts in some of Southeast Alaska’s most economically distressed
communities.

In this time of unprecedented need in our region and state, Chair
Kookesh's knowledge, commitment and passion are particularly
important as our communities struggle to hold on to jobs, ways of life
and, the economic future of Southeast Alaska.

More than 38 years after Congress passed the Alaska Native Claims
Settlement Act, Sealaska tribal member shareholders and communities
continue to suffer from unfulfilled promises to provide productive and
culturally important lands to our people. After nearly four decades, it is
an emotional issue for many of us and patience is hard to come by.
The Haa Aani legislation is the culmination of years of very hard,
intimate work with communities throughout the region to stitch together a long-overdue congressional promise under ANCSA. Chair Kookesh has been our leader throughout this collaborative process – his commitment to the vision and ideals of ANCSA has guided the collaborative process to develop the legislation.

Today, with the assistance of municipal, state and federal
lawmakers, tribal member shareholders, interest groups and interested
citizens, the legislation has evolved and is a strong balance of economic, social, cultural and environmental priorities. We have long recognized that the legislative process is one in which absolute consensus is rare, but we have sought the support of the majority of the stakeholders within Southeast Alaska, regionally and nationally.

Rather than the focusing on a brief, unguarded moment, all of us
should be focused on the very real economic and cultural issues facing
our communities and our people.

Sincerely,
SEALASKA CORPORATION

Chris E. McNeil, Jr.
President & CEO