KETCHIKAN -- The political troubles facing this community's lone state representative seem as deep and messy as the slushy snow that blanketed the community one recent weekend.
When voters talk recall, it's never pretty.
State Rep. Kyle Johansen, one of the Legislature's top players just last year, now is the target of an effort to extract him from office midterm. He's a Republican in a GOP-leaning district, a hometown boy made good who came into his political own after being mentored by the former longtime representative for House District 1, Bill Williams.
The District 1 Republicans say they want to recall Johansen because he abandoned his leadership position in the state House, and they don't think he's been honest about the reasons why. They suspect his decision was tied up in his close relationship with Anchorage Rep. Charisse Millett, which he has denied.
But others in Ketchikan doubt there's grounds for recall. Some say he should get a chance to do his job.
"Nobody understands the logic for making the decision he made," said Dick Coose, a City Council member and retired forest ranger. He is leading the recall effort as head of the district Republicans. "It hit a nerve, and I don't think that nerve is healing up."
Johansen, 43, in January issued a written statement saying he would fight back. He accused the district Republicans of trying to "thwart the will of the people."
But asked recently by a reporter to respond to his constituents' concerns, he declined. "I have no comment about the issue whatsoever," he said.
WALKOUT IN WASILLA
The chain of events began just days after Johansen won re-election in November to a third two-year term by a wide margin.
He expected to be named majority leader again -- the No. 2 position in the state House, right behind House speaker. He campaigned on that, Coose said.
"Southeast almost had the Legislature tied up in their hands," said Coose, 71. Sen. Bert Stedman, R-Sitka, co-chairs the Senate Finance Committee, and Rep. Bill Thomas, R-Haines, holds the same position in the House.
At a House organizational meeting at Wasilla's Lake Lucille Inn, things went haywire. Millett, who had just won a second term, expected to be named chair of the Legislative Budget and Audit Committee, but that post went to Rep. Mike Hawker, another Anchorage Republican. He has been fighting prostate cancer and asked for this assignment rather than the more demanding Finance Committee.
Millett walked out. The next day, Johansen proposed a deal in which he would give up his post as majority leader if Millett could get a seat on the Finance Committee. When his colleagues refused, he left, too.
Now neither one belongs to the GOP-led majority that runs the House.
LOST FAITH
Everyone makes mistakes, said John Judson, another Republican activist and pastor of Gateway Baptist Church in Ketchikan. But the community has lost confidence in Johansen, Judson said.
At a Ketchikan town hall meeting in November, Johansen told residents he left the caucus because he didn't like the direction it was headed, with Bush Democrats who had joined it being assigned spots on the Finance Committee, among other things.
Judson pressed him on whether he had an intimate relationship with Millett. Johansen denied it. Johansen and Millett both are recently divorced.
If Johansen were upfront about why he walked out, it would go a long way toward easing the disappointment over the lost power, Judson said.
"This is a Clintonesque kind of thing where we are not getting the information we deserve, and Kyle is treating it like it will just go away," said Judson, 56.
His small steepled church is a magnet for some of Ketchikan's most politically connected residents. Coose goes there. So does Laura Antonsen, past president of the First City Republican Women's Club, and a recall supporter.
"My heart breaks. I don't want to do this. I don't want to be part of this. It's basically forced our hand," Antonsen said after church one recent Sunday.
But Dick Axelson, another church member and a retired banker, said a recall is draining and time-intensive.
"We ought to let the next election take care of it," Axelson said.
Republican leaders say they asked Johansen to appear at another public meeting in Ketchikan but had no luck.
"People have cried in some of these meetings," Judson said. "They were attached to him, they supported him, they loved him, and they saw what he was doing right before their eyes."
'YOU ARE WHO YOU ARE'
In Juneau, the roles of Johansen and Millett are diminished. They've gone from three staff members to one each. They moved from desirable Capitol offices into tiny ones.
As of Friday afternoon, Johansen had introduced four bills. None had been given a hearing.
Johansen's sole regular committee is House State Affairs. Before a meeting early one recent morning, Johansen exchanged a few words with Millett, there to pitch her bill to create a state "choose life" license plate.
Johansen didn't speak up about Millett's bill or another on how to properly hang, fold and dispose of the state flag.
But he perked up during the debate over a bill by Rep. Max Gruenberg regarding state election pamphlets produced for voters. Under the bill, candidates could submit information to be published before the August primary. Then they could change the message for a guide printed before the November general election.
Johansen said he wasn't a big fan of that.
"From my perspective, you are who you are," he said. "You should write a statement and you should stick with it."
Johansen didn't have a statement in this year's election guide. But on his website, he lists his special interests: cars and motorcycles, sportfishing and architecture, classical literature and Paul Ekman, presumably a reference to the psychologist famous for his study of facial expression, emotion and deceit.
Johansen and Millett tried to rejoin the majority caucus in January but didn't have the support. The leaders have decided not to spend time on the matter unless majority members push for the two to get back in, said Rep. Craig Johnson, R-Anchorage and chairman of the Rules Committee.
"Until then, it's off the radar," Johnson said.
THE RECALL
Back in Ketchikan, the recall effort will ramp up in mid-March, Coose said.
Under state law, recall organizers cannot apply to the state Division of Elections for recall petitions until Johansen's new term is at least 120 days old, which isn't until mid-May.
The law says elected officials can be recalled for lack of fitness, incompetence, neglect of duties or corruption. A sitting Alaska state legislator has never been recalled from office.
The process is involved. For the initial application, organizers must collect signatures from 10 percent of District 1 residents who voted last fall. They also must state reasons they want Johansen out. The latter will include abandonment of his leadership post, Coose said.
If they succeed at this stage, they must collect a second round of signatures, equal to 25 percent of the voters. Then the state will conduct a special recall election. Recall organizers hope to have someone new in office by 2012.
Judson and Coose say they can't walk down the street or go to the post office without being asked about the recall. But some Ketchikan residents seem less than enthused.
"I stay out of politics," said Jim Lewis, shoveling snow in front of Tatsuda's IGA grocery store in Ketchikan on a recent Sunday morning. Lewis, 50, is an avid birdwatcher and hiker. He doesn't like conflict.
Deanna Cox, a 31-year-old mom shopping at the Ketchikan mall, said she thought Johansen should stay in office. "Whatever he's done, he's doing good now."
Johansen's behavior is sorely disappointing, but may not meet the legal standard for recall, said Jack Shay, a former city and Ketchikan Gateway Borough mayor who said he had consulted with lawyers about it. Shay, currently on the City Council, met with Johansen in Juneau and said the legislator was well-versed in Southeast and statewide issues.
"He's committed no felony. He's going to the meetings. He's doing what he's supposed to do," Shay, 79, said.
If Johansen is recalled, the governor would appoint a replacement, subject to legislative confirmation.
By LISA DEMER
ldemer@adn.com