Austin Quinn-Davidson Sworn In as Anchorage’s Acting Mayor

Acting Mayor Austin Quinn-Davidson has taken the mayoral oath of office, replacing Ethan Berkowitz, who has resigned.

The oath was administered in the mayor’s office by Chief Magistrate Judge Deborah Smith. Quinn-Davidson was joined by her wife, Stephanie. She will remain in the office until the next mayoral election in April 2021.

Quinn-Davidson, chosen to be acting major by the Anchorage Assembly, is the first woman to serve as mayor of the Municipality of Anchorage and is the tenth 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,” said Quinn-Davidson at her swearing in. “My promise to Anchorage residents is to listen, to work hard, and to lead with compassion and reason.”

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.