Josiah Patkotak

Josiah Patkotak
Aullaqsruaq
Patkotak in 2024
Mayor of North Slope Borough
Incumbent
Assumed office
October 10, 2023
Preceded byHarry Brower
Speaker of the Alaska House of Representatives
Acting
February 4, 2021 – February 11, 2021
Preceded byBryce Edgmon
Succeeded byLouise Stutes
Member of the Alaska House of Representatives
from the 40th district
In office
January 11, 2021 – October 10, 2023
Preceded byJohn Lincoln
Succeeded byThomas Baker
Personal details
Born (1994-03-22) March 22, 1994
Barrow, Alaska, U.S.
PartyIndependent

Josiah Aullaqsruaq Patkotak (born March 22, 1994) (last name pronounced Patkutaq in Iñupiaq) is an Iñupiaq politician from Alaska. He also played the lead role in Andrew Okpeaha MacLean's On the Ice (2011).


Political career

Patkotak is registered as an independent politician.[1]

State representative

He represented District 40 as a member of the Alaska House of Representatives from 2021 to 2023.[2] Patkotak defeated another Iñupiaq candidate, Elizabeth Niiqsik Ferguson (D), for the seat by a margin of 200 votes following the retirement of John Lincoln.[3]

Borough mayor

Patkotak resigned from the Alaska House in October 2023 after being elected as mayor of North Slope Borough.[4]

In February 2025, Patkotak apologized after borough police officers were recorded using a sled to transport the body of an Utqiagvik teen who died by suicide through the town.[5]

During his tenure as borough mayor, Patkotak was criticized for having his wife and children join him on official trips at the borough's expense, and for using borough funds for first-class travel and luxury expenses on those trips. The borough assembly then approved changes to the borough code to allow the borough to pay for mayor's spouse and dependents to join them on borough-funded travel in December 2024. The code change was supported by Assembly president Crawford Patkotak, the mayor's father. This controversy contributed to recall petitions against both Patkotaks. The petition for Josiah Patkotak failed to gather sufficient signatures by the May 2025 deadline to trigger a recall election, while the petition for his father was filed too close to the end of his term.[6][7][8]

References

  1. ^ "An Inupiaq candidate will head to Alaska's House – but which one?". IndianCountryToday.com. Retrieved January 28, 2021.
  2. ^ Early, Wesley; Kotzebue, KOTZ- (November 19, 2020). "Representative-elect Patkotak says he opposes joining a caucus that seeks cuts to certain rural Alaska programs". Alaska Public Media. Retrieved January 27, 2021.
  3. ^ Chavez, Aliyah. "Josiah Patkotak narrowly wins state House seat in Alaska". Ict News. Retrieved January 28, 2021.
  4. ^ "State Rep. Josiah Patkotak resigns after winning North Slope mayor's race". Alaska Public Media. Retrieved October 15, 2023.
  5. ^ Hollander, Zaz (February 7, 2025). "North Slope Borough mayor issues apology after video shows police hauling teen's body on a sled". Arctic Sounder. Archived from the original on May 10, 2025. Retrieved November 12, 2025.
  6. ^ Naiden, Alena (December 10, 2024). "Assembly votes for North Slope Borough to pay for officials' family to join them on business trips". Arctic Sounder. Archived from the original on October 5, 2025. Retrieved November 12, 2025.
  7. ^ Naiden, Alena (March 18, 2025). "Recall effort targets North Slope Borough mayor over use of public funds for family's travel". KNBA. Archived from the original on June 14, 2025. Retrieved November 12, 2025.
  8. ^ Naiden, Alena (June 12, 2025). "Effort to recall North Slope Borough Mayor fails to collect enough signatures for a vote". KNBA. Archived from the original on July 26, 2025. Retrieved November 12, 2025.


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