Sitka assembly interviews Steven Dahl for municipal administrator; moves into executive session

The Sitka City and Borough Assembly held a second-round interview on April 22 with municipal administrator candidate Steven Dahl, questioning him on housing, utility operations, budgeting and community engagement before voting unanimously to enter executive session to discuss the candidate.

Dahl, who the assembly introduced as the candidate for municipal administrator, described his management approach as ‘‘running the city’’ and serving as a liaison between the assembly and staff. He said the administrator should avoid partisan politics and focus on executing council direction and explaining ordinances to residents. ‘‘My job is to be the liaison between the council and the staff and working with them to do that,’’ Dahl said.

Why it matters: Sitka is a full-service, island municipality that owns and operates utilities, maintains emergency-response responsibilities and faces long-standing housing and fiscal pressures. The assembly used the extended interview to test Dahl’s ability to manage technical utilities, stretch limited budgets and engage residents.

On utilities and staffing, several assembly members emphasized Sitka’s utility complexity, including operation of hydroelectric facilities and transmission assets; one member referenced the Blue Lake Dam and the town’s large utility debt. Dahl proposed developing recruitment and mentoring pipelines with local schools and, where necessary, contracting specialized work. ‘‘I wanted to introduce them so they could work,’’ Dahl said of training programs; ‘‘you get them young and start working them and giving them the ability to grow here.’’

On housing, Assembly member Katie Riley pressed for concrete ideas to expand supply for year-round workers, seasonal employees and aging residents. Dahl cited accessory dwelling units, mixed-income developments, repurposing city-owned land and partnering with employers and nonprofits to finance workforce housing as potential tools.

On budgeting, Dahl described a process that begins with council priorities, engages department heads to estimate costs, and presents prioritized options to the assembly for decisions. He recounted finding roughly $300,000–$350,000 in cuts in a prior municipal budget and said he favors preventative maintenance and combining projects to reduce long-term costs.

Dahl also discussed his use of alternative dispute resolution and mediation in multi-party infrastructure disputes and union negotiations, saying mediation often produced faster, less costly solutions than litigation.

After the concluding questions and a brief recess, an assembly member moved to enter executive session ‘‘to discuss subjects that may tend to prejudice the reputation and character of the municipal administrator candidate Steve Dahl’’ and to invite Assistant Municipal Administrator Josh Brant Hoover while excluding the Municipal Administrator and the Municipal Attorney. The motion passed 7–0. The assembly reconvened and adjourned later in the meeting.

Next steps: The assembly said it will continue its selection process and proceed with other candidate interviews as scheduled.