Initial results are in from Bethel’s municipal election and Regional Educational Attendance Area (REAA) elections around the region.
With just 17 ballots left to be counted, one of the seats on Bethel City Council is too close to call. The current fourth-place candidate, WG Anaruk, received 156 votes. But with 17 votes left to be counted between early, absentee, questioned, and special needs ballots, fifth place candidate Danny Suiter (147 votes) could overtake Anaruk to gain the one-year term on the council.
Four seats on the Bethel City Council were on the ballot. Three of those seats are for two-year terms, and one is for a one-year term. The top three vote-getters will gain two-year terms on the council, and the fourth vote-getter will hold the one-year seat.
Incumbent assembly member Rose “Sugar” Henderson received the most votes (255). She’ll sit for another two-year term on city council.
Newcomers Pamela Conrad and Alicia Miner received the second and third-most votes (234 and 223, respectively). They’ll also gain two-year seats.
Both of Bethel’s precincts saw voter turnouts below 10% for the municipal election. For Precinct 1, which used to vote at the Lower Kuskokwim School District offices, the turnout was 7.74%. For Precinct 2, it was slightly higher at 8.96%.
In the REAA school board election for the two Bethel seats, both incumbents have also assured their victory. Incumbent school board member Michael Husa ran unopposed for REAA 4-4 Seat G, and incumbent Catherine Cedars received more than 65% of the vote against challenger Rodney “Mark” Jones.
Find the full results of other REAA school board elections for the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta here.
These election results are preliminary. Bethel’s local election will be finalized after the city’s canvass board meets at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 3.
The state aims to certify the results of REAA elections by Oct. 24.
