Kodiak Village Mayors Association
Elijah was born in Fairbanks, Alaska and moved to Oregon where he graduated from Woodrow Wilson High School in 1999. He studied at Umpqua Community College in Roseburg, OR., and Marian University in Indianapolis, Indiana. Elijah moved back to Alaska in 2010 for a job logging trees for the new airport in Ouzinkie. He fell in love with Kodiak Island and the people and stayed. His background is in sales and marketing, construction, logging, and the fitness industry.
Elijah was elected to Ouzinkie’s city council in October of 2019. He was elected Mayor by the council in November of 2019 and re-elected in November 2020. He is also board member of the Alaska Conference of Mayors (ACOM). Some of his projects since becoming mayor include:
- Penstock Replacement- USDA, CDBG, ANTHC, Denali Commission
- New Hydro Turbine- USDA, KANA, ANTHC, DOE
- Switch Gear- Alaska Energy Authority
- Burn Barrel replacement- ANTHC
- Phase 3 water main replacement- ANTHC
- Phase 4 water main replacement- ANTHC
- Water Treatment Plant upgrade- ANTHC
- Hydroponics Food Security Project- KALI
- Street light replacement project- AEA, Wells Fargo
In collaboration with Tylor Kornelis with KANA, Elijah applied for Ouzinkie to become one of eleven remote island communities in the country selected to receive technical assistance in the first cohort of the Energy Transitions Initiative Partnership Project (ETIPP). The process will provide technical assistance to remote and island communities related to energy resilience.
Elijah says he loves being a public servant for his community, which he wears as a badge of honor.
Member since: May 2021
Represents: Kodiak Village Mayors Association