New acting mayor of Anchorage sworn in

Austin Quinn-Davidson was sworn in as the mayor of Anchorage Friday evening.

She replaces Ethan Berkowitz, whose resignation was effective at 6 p.m. Acting Mayor Quinn-Davidson is the first woman to serve as mayor of the Municipality of Anchorage and is the 10th mayor since the municipality was created in 1975.

“These are times that call for stability and measured leadership. That is what I intend to provide,” Quinn-Davidson said in a press release by the municipality. “My promise to Anchorage residents is to listen, to work hard, and to lead with compassion and reason.”

The oath was administered in the mayor’s office by Chief Magistrate Judge Deborah Smith. Mayor Quinn-Davidson was joined by her wife, Stephanie.

Quinn-Davidson was raised by working class parents in a rural logging town in northern California. She worked through high school and college, earning a bachelor’s degree from the University of California at Santa Barbara and a law degree from the University of California at Davis. As an attorney, she worked for a large law firm doing housing and renewable energy projects, as in-house counsel to a bi-state government agency, and as the Legal Affairs & Land Transactions Director for the Great Land Trust.

Quinn-Davidson was first elected to represent West Anchorage on the Anchorage Assembly in 2018, where she prioritized investments in public safety, supporting working families, and securing disaster relief for Anchorage residents and businesses. She lives in West Anchorage with her wife, Stephanie.