The Sitka Tribe of Alaska Tribal Council and the Sitka Assembly reviewed shared priorities and local initiatives during their semi-annual government-to-government dinner Monday night at Harrigan Centennial Hall.
The two governments discussed everything from local childcare and housing projects to the status of Sitka’s seaplane base and seawalk upgrades.
Council Chair Yeidikook’áa said it’s encouraging to come together and hear about progress on some of Sitka’s most challenging issues. She pointed to the governments’ shared Memorandum of Understanding which was established in the late 1990s. The agreement spells out the obligations each government has to each other and was one of the first of its kind in the state. Yeidikook’áa said it’s one thing to have an understanding on paper, but it takes a spirit of “cooperation and fidelity” to the agreement to actually make it work.
“It really is kind of an example of what could be between tribal governments and local governments,” she said. “It sadly is still really unique in that a lot of other places just haven’t kind of grasped onto it as a concept for how a community can work together in Alaska with its tribal government.”
Mayor Kevin Mosher said he feels “fortunate and blessed” about the relationship between the Tribe and city, and said he’s grateful for these informal gatherings.
“This kind of thing where we’re being more intimate and talking helps bridge any gaps,” he said. “And when we need to work on official business and more things, we’re interacting as friends.”
The next government-to-government meeting will be hosted by the Tribe next spring.
