It was an unusual swearing in Monday as Dan Sullivan was sworn in as the mayor of Anchorage via Skype in Honolulu.

With a judge administering the Oath of Office from thousands of miles away, it was made official.

Mayor Sullivan was elected to his second term in office, which began on July 1.

But, he had already planned his annual vacation to visit his wife's family in Kailua.  This year it includes a family reunion with relatives flying in to see each other.

Sullivan, his chief of staff, and the municipal attorney researched and came up with the Skype idea.

"It doesn't matter what room you're in or where you are when you do the swearing in," said Sullivan.  "It's the fact that you do it with a judge administering the oath to you and sign and notarize."

Another swearing-in ceremony will be held after he returns in two-and-a-half weeks.

Sullivan's wife, a Kailua High School 1970 graduate, said this is the only vacation her husband takes each year.  He paid for it using no county funds.

The swearing-in ceremony took place at attorney Nathan Aipa's law offices, the site of the old territorial tavern.  In fact, it was just about the stage area where comedy troupe Booga Booga used to perform.