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.
