An investigation by The Alaska Landmine revealed that North Slope Borough Mayor Josiah Patkotak took numerous trips to places in the Lower 48 states and Peru, often accompanied by his wife and children.
In a December NSB Assembly meeting, members voted 8-3 to amend the borough code, allowing the mayor’s spouse and legal dependents, as well as the spouses of Assembly members, to have their travel expenses covered for official business.
However, records obtained by The Landmine indicate that the borough had already been funding Patkotak’s family’s travel since his election in 2023.
The released records detail lavish travel arrangements, including premium business class flights on LATAM Airlines from Los Angeles to Peru, first-class flights on Alaska Airlines and other carriers, and luxury hotel stays in New York City and Washington, D.C., and a lot of walking-around money for travel expense.
The North Slope Borough, with its main community of Utqiagvik, is the richest borough in the state, as it sits on top of the vast Prudhoe Bay oil field, which generates massive revenue for the borough through property taxes levied on oil and gas operations.
Read the full report at this link.
This shouldn’t surprise anyone these days, being entitled is a almost guaranteed for politicians and government officials. I would like to see how many off the villages spend our tax dollars. I was born and raised in a western village and the ethics and morals in the council’s seems to have change. Mind you, not all are bad and unethical.
The north slope borough has about 1 to 2 billion in the bank.
They make their money from the oil field property taxes.
Woo-hoo, woo- hoo, WOO-HOO imagine when all our oath breakers are standing in front of the one they mock. ILL BEGOTTEN GAINS woo-hoo
St Peter?
And the state coffers pay for their educational cost. Check it out, all the unorganized boroughs are funded under this process.
Cheers-Al Johnson-Ketchikan
The North Slope Borough is an organized borough. It was established in 1972 and operates under a Home Rule Charter, which allows it to exercise governmental powers including planning, zoning, taxation, and education.
The education system worked great for them. It gave them to tools to figure out how to scam the taxpayers out of millions of dollars!
North Slope Borough siphons billions of dollars off the top of the state budget by charging the oil companies “property taxes” it’s a total scam. Decades of very wealthy very corrupt local politics up there. Local cops are in on it and the state government turns a blind eye.
Corruption in the North Slope Borough?
That is what we call a “dog bites man” story.
The folks of the Borough will read this article and go “meh, ho-hum” in no different a manner than when Bristol Bay Borough and Dillingham locals are faced with theirs.
Fact is, he’s local. He’s family. No one cares.
They’re so in tune with nature
Not to defend the actions of the NSB but….. I suspect an audit of our state legislators would reveal scenarios equally as questionable or worse. Might I suggest that we start with senator Stedman?
lol. Ya it’s pretty amazing how just even a little power and access can corrupt !! , don’t think for a second this is not common practice in many many of these communities, Entitlement breeds a certain kind of arrogance , and really who’s to question those who cling to culture in order to use it as a tool to wreap the rewards and partake in flat out theft, oh yes their Elders should be very very proud !!! it’s just a simple truth that’s sad and pathetic yet so easily foreseen. When there is no one to answer to, the weakest minds will do what they want , even if it is wrong and unethical!! Some people just think the World owes them a Liven!!
Consider this: how else might they attract “qualified” persons to do good for the people without such inducements?
Nothing new. The Browers did the same thing. Al Adams did it in Kotzebue. Eskimo elite will spend lavishly as though they earned it themselves. The rest of us are eating whale blubber and vacationing in Fairbanks.
Take-another-look, bud! Have you heard the story of the Bristol Bay Borough hiring a grant writer for $600,000.00 a year? Yeap, a paltry $50,000.00 a month for a grant writer! With his qualifications you’d think that he were Republican–I mean a blazing red one, not just some whimpy RINO! But, there’s no reason to rush to judgement: maybe the typist had to pay a “finder’s fee” for the contract!
Regardless, Tookalook, enjoy your blubber and whatever avenue it is that you haunt in Fairbanks! But if graft is your game, there’s no reason to nickel-and-dime your way through life, hit the Bristol Bay Borough!
Fairbanks has the Mecca, pull tabs, and Friday night bingo. Vacation enough.
Barrow is the land of $5,000 birthday cakes. DOGE would really have a hayday in Barrow!
I know jealousy when I see it. And it isn’t pretty.
We are jealous. I wish I had a bottomless slush fund to live the good life.
Do not be shocked at this news. It is no secret. And it’s not just the North Slope Borough. Interestingly enough, while some of their own townspeople live in near squalor. Their mentally ill and chronically inebriated are ending up in Anchorage and Fairbanks with zero help or guidance from their own corporations. Worse: I have stood in line in their airports in some of these communities while their well-paid public servants actually brag about their trips. The corruption is real in rural hub communities.
When you got it, flaunt it.
At a minimum, the tickets for his family and walking around money are subject to federal income tax. His vacation tickets would also be subject to federal income tax. Thanks, for the information, I now get my IRS 10% finder’s fee.
You KNOW they’ll spend 10 minutes on something once they get wherever ‘There’ is so they can claim it was “a Business Trip”!
Which senator signed off on this?
Who is surprised about this lavish travel by the NS Borough Mayor and family. Not me, I expect it.
Did you expect less?
its good the see that DEI corruption is a non discrimination way of it. even Alaskan Natives are not exempt from it. thus, we we are all coming together, sarcastic added.
DEI is alive and well in the Alaska Native Communities…now shut up about it.
How much State of Alaska revenue sharing does this Borough receive annually?
I don’t think it’s revenue sharing. The oilfield facilities and TAPS infrastructure are taxed at 20 mills. The NSB receives this revenue, same as with the FNSB and the cities of Delta Junction and Valdez for the portion lying within their respective corporate limits.
Lots of money up there with a small population base, gotta spend that money before it spends itself!