Sitka assembly interviews two finalists for municipal administrator, then votes 7–0 to enter executive session

The Sitka City and Borough Assembly held a special meeting April 9 to interview two finalists for municipal administrator and subsequently voted unanimously to discuss the candidates in executive session.

Mayor Steven Eisenbeis opened the meeting and said the assembly had two interviews scheduled after one applicant withdrew. Assistant municipal administrator Josh Branthuber reviewed interview guidance and federal prohibitions on questions about race, religion, age, disability and veteran status, and explained the assembly would use a round‑robin format with roughly 45 minutes per interview.

The first candidate, Jenny Alber, described a 20‑plus‑year career in government and nonprofits and said she currently works in New Orleans. When asked how she would manage budget instability in Alaska — where municipalities rely heavily on state and federal resource revenues — Alber said she had worked through a roughly $260,000,000 deficit in New Orleans by imposing hiring freezes, seeking grant funds and strengthening legislative relationships to secure state or federal support. "So we've kinda... been trying to find federal funds," she said, adding that grant‑writing and partnership building were core strategies.

Assembly members pressed Alber on local operational issues. In response to a question about keeping required staff certifications on‑island, she suggested a "train‑the‑trainer" model and apprenticeship pathways to reduce travel costs for continuing education. On large capital projects, Alber said she had led a statewide system redesign that required convening more than 200 staff and managing multimillion‑dollar developer contracts, which taught her the value of early stakeholder engagement.

During her interview, Alber acknowledged she had "glanced" at Sitka's municipal code but said she had read the municipal charter and noted its home‑rule structure. She also said she favors collaborative approaches to collective bargaining while knowing the importance of setting clear negotiation bottom lines.

The second candidate, Steve Dahl, introduced himself as an experienced city manager from Oregon with a master’s degree in management. Dahl described conservative budgeting practices, including planning with modest revenue assumptions and reserving funds to cover short‑term shortfalls; he also outlined borrowing as a tool in emergencies and cited past work helping local food banks during the COVID period.

On capital planning and infrastructure, Dahl said he has led road and utility projects that required coordination with state transportation and utility partners, advocated doing multiple underground utility upgrades at once to limit interruptions, and favors master plans to prioritize the highest‑impact repairs. Asked about past contract terminations in prior positions, Dahl told the assembly those were often linked to elected‑official dynamics rather than job performance and emphasized that he treats the council as his employer and follows chartered procedures.

After both interviews, Assemblymember JJ Carlson moved that the assembly enter executive session to "discuss subjects that may tend to prejudice the reputation and character" of the two candidates and to invite assistant municipal administrator Josh Branthuber in while excluding the municipal administrator and municipal attorney. The motion, seconded by Mayor Eisenbeis, passed on a roll‑call vote, 7–0 (Mayor Steven Eisenbeis — yes; Tor Christiansen — yes; Katie Riley — yes; Kevin Mosher — yes; Scotty Celine — yes; JJ Carlson — yes; Tim Pike — yes).

When the assembly reconvened in open session it announced members had met in executive session and decided to continue the hiring process; staff were directed to reach out to both candidates to schedule additional interviews, rather than make an immediate appointment.

The meeting closed with no public comments during the persons‑to‑be‑heard period and an adjournment vote. The assembly’s next procedural step is follow‑up interviews with both finalists.