Sitka’s new mayor and assembly members took their oaths of office at the Sitka Assembly meeting Tuesday night (10-13-26). The group also said farewell to outgoing mayor Steven Eisenbeisz, who served in the role since 2020.
Eisenbeisz served two terms on the assembly before he was elected to the mayor’s chair. After three terms at the helm, he did not seek re-election this year.
At Tuesday’s meeting, he read from a prepared speech. In it, he thanked city staff, fellow assembly members, and his family for their support. He said people often run for a seat on the assembly to change the world, but the first budget cycle hits hard. Then, over time, they slowly realize the system isn’t broken.
“Every administration leaves a small mark in the process,” Eisenbeisz said. “I’ve always looked at it with a lens of longevity. It is my intent to grow old and die here, and the decisions that I have made will directly affect the quality of life in the hopefully faraway future.”
Eisenbeisz’s departure was met with some tears. Assembly Member JJ Carlson, who has served as deputy mayor under Eisenbeisz, said they’ve both grown a lot since they met in the second grade. She thanked him for his leadership and said he leaves big shoes to fill.
“You’ve built this team,” Carlson said. “You’ve built us to be the leaders of this community. And I really appreciate that time and that patience you’ve had with us to find our way, and not just do it as a mirror to you, but that support that you’ve given, and I’ve seen you do it to all of us, and there’s just lots of appreciation.”
Following Eisenbeisz’s recognition and a short recess to share cake, Sitka’s newly-elected mayor Kevin Mosher was sworn into office. He said he learned a lot from Eisenbeisz and expects the new body to continue to make respect a priority.
“I’ve been so fortunate to work with the assemblies I have, especially these last couple years,” he said. “It has been an absolute honor. You know, you look around and you see other assemblies or city councils, and they bicker, and that doesn’t happen [here]. We speak and discuss fervently for our opinions, but at the end of the day, we agree and we are kind and friendly to each other. And I just want to thank the assembly for that.”
Mosher has served on the assembly since 2018, and ran one unsuccessful bid for mayor in 2022. He won the mayor’s seat with nearly 58% of the vote in last week’s municipal election.
Incumbent JJ Carlson and newcomer Sherri Blankenship were also sworn in at Tuesday’s meeting. The assembly then voted 5 to 1 to appoint runner-up Darrell Windsor to fill Mosher’s vacant assembly seat until next year’s municipal election. Carlson voted against the appointment, saying she preferred to advertise for letters of interest.
