Anchorage, Alaksa, Mayor Dan Sullivan takes the oath of office in Hawaii. (Oskar Garcia/AP)Dan Sullivan was 4,664 miles from home. But thanks to video conferencing technology, the re-elected mayor of Anchorage, Alaska, was able to take his oath of office from Honolulu, Hawaii.
It was 80 degrees in Honolulu, the Associated Press reported, compared with the seasonal highs of the mid-50s in Anchorage. Sullivan wore a Hawaiian shirt for his oath, signed off by saying "Aloha," then he and his wife were adorned with leis.
"I'm very pleased that we're able to have this technology," 61-year-old Sullivan, a Republican, said. "It' really an honor for me today to be able to share this experience with my Hawaiian family and friends."
Sullivan was in Honolulu for a scheduled family vacation and reunion. He isn't scheduled to be back in Alaska until July 16, and said taking the oath remotely was just easier than flying back to the city where he was elected to serve a second term.
"It really doesn't matter where you do the swearing in, what room you're in or where you're located," Sullivan told reporters back in Alaska. "What really matters is the words that you swear and affirm to, to uphold the constitutions of the country, the state and, of course, the charter."
Alaska law does not forbid remote oaths of office and it's unlikely the unusual choice will stir any serious controversy. A Honolulu attorney signed the oath of office legal forms. But just to be safe, Sullivan says he will sign the oath again when he returns to Anchorage.