Voters in Sitka have overwhelmingly rejected a citizen-led ballot proposition special election aimed at regulating large cruise ship traffic, dealing a blow to those advocating for tighter limits on visitor numbers and port calls during the summer tourist season.
In a special election held Wednesday, preliminary results show that roughly 2,000 voted against the initiative, and 800 voted for it — 72% to 28%.
After polls closed at 8 pm, only about 100 absentee votes were outstanding, insufficient to change the outcome. The remaining ballots are to be counted June 2.
The measure would have implemented sweeping restrictions on large cruise ships, defined as vessels carrying 250 or more overnight passengers. If passed, the ordinance would have gone into effect for the 2026 cruise season and established the following limits:
- Confined cruise ship port calls to the period between May 1 and September 30;
- Limited port calls to six days per week, requiring one cruise-free day;
- Imposed an annual cap of 300,000 scheduled passengers ashore;
- Enforced a daily cap of 4,500 scheduled passengers ashore.
In addition to passenger and scheduling restrictions, the proposition required the City and Borough of Sitka to create a permitting and scheduling system for all cruise ships, large and small, and to impose penalties—including fines, permit revocations, or yearlong suspensions—for noncompliance. It also would have mandated that cruise operators report visitation data to local authorities.
Supporters of the measure, clearly in the minority, said it was necessary to preserve Sitka’s quality of life, natural environment, and infrastructure.
Opponents, including many in the local business community, argued the restrictions were too rigid and could have significant economic consequences for a city that depends heavily on summer tourism.
What is it with Alaskans? Always trying to put down, put limits upon, increase taxes on the very industries that provide income. Tourism. Mining. Oil and Gas. The only thing they don’t stick it to is municipal, state and local government.
Roll, Results of the elected bodies are comprised of government employee cartels overwhelming the voting outcomes. Private industry persons are becoming rare often singularly members
continually finding themselves in the minority.
There is little chance of any immediate change. Not as long as any reserve funds remain in view.
Hang on, the economic road is made up of pot holes!!
Sorry Rollo It’s not Alaskans! It’s the Democrat’s who are trying to control everything
😂😂😂
They’re not proper Alaskans, merely transplants from the lower-west coast. #mimbys
The anti-cruise movement needs a spotted owl backed by federal bribery/blackmail money (public taxes).
The last 5 comments clearly show all is not lost. WRITE ON, WRITE ON.
Don’t forget this is a small echo chamber.
Frankly, I don’t care. It’s a Sitka thing, and the voters have spoken. But I’ve been in Skagway when FIVE ships were simultaneously docked, and that made Disneyland during Christmas Break look like a ghost town. I can understand some folks wanting some semblance of sanity. How much is enough?
LOL. And I thought Sitka was run by fruitcakes and nuts. The majority, it turns out, are common sense people who know how to run a town.
👍👍
Correct, Thomas. It’s the transplant wackos from CA, WA, etc…..that try to ruin it for everyone else. They are the PRETEND Alaskans. Not a welcoming bunch of hypocrats.
SE used to be mining, timber, and fishing. They were regulated out of business. Now, it seems, the tourist industry is suffering the same fate. The regulatory industry it’s going stronger than ever. Perhaps we could regulate the regulators? Term Limit Regulators!
The odds are pretty good that the election turned out the way the majority of the voters intended. That said, Sitka uses Dominion voting machines and software programs can be modified. Perhaps the results were not quite the landslide that we are told to believe…..
Too bad Anchorage doesn’t have a too many ships problem.
Our mayor is too busy supporting homeless and focusing on sexuality to support businesses.
I was recently in Sitka for High School graduation ceremonies. I was overwhelmed by the mob of cruise ship passengers swarming the little town. I told somebody, hey it looks like you have a pest infestation here. They laughed, yea but these pests have dollar signs painted on their backs, so its all good. That was a joke…
I also became informed of the ballot measure Proposition 1 special election before the voters in that same time period. I read up on the proposal and immediately recognized that what most likely started out as a reasonable common sense approach to limiting passenger traffic to the town to six days, had inflated to another government regulation debacle and an attempt to increase the level of government importance and also increase government’s share of revenue. The proposal was poorly written to accommodate the government overreach.
Lets face the fact that Sitka is a small town. A very small town compared to lets say Homer, or Eagle River. When 3, 4, 5, and or 6 ships anchor in the bays at the same time, and then shuffle all those people through the settlement nearly every day, it gets to be somewhat overbearing. Locals can’t easily navigate the sea of human traffic just doing basic things. Not everyone is “in business”, or benefits directly or indirectly, from the tourism industry. I do not understand why the brainwashing effect of endless chasing of the debt dollar has to automatically be applied to everyone.
Local people could use a break from the invasion, even for one day, without creating a hardship on the revenue chasers. How many lives are impacted in a negative way from the desire of a few to sell their goods.
When government jumps in on top of a citizen led initiative to create more regulation and add an extra cost burden within the jurisdiction, then that is just going too far. The data the government seeks to gain with the added regulation is, I am sure, readily available through existing sources.