Bethel’s local election results are set after the canvass board met on Oct. 3.
Newcomer WG Anaruk will hold a one-year seat on Bethel City Council, beating Danny Suiter by 15 votes. The race for the one-year seat on the council was too close to call after the polls closed on Oct. 1.
But with the remaining early, absentee, questioned, and special needs ballots counted by the canvass board, which certifies the election, Anaruk held onto his slim lead over Suiter.
The other three seats on Bethel’s city council that were up for election were already set.
Incumbent assembly member Rose “Sugar” Henderson received the most votes in the race, with a total of 267. She’ll sit for another two-year term on the council.
New candidates Pamela Conrad and Alicia Miner will also hold two-year terms on the council, having received 247 and 234 votes, respectively.
In Bethel, council candidates don’t run for a specific seat. Instead, the top vote-getters gain the seats with the longest terms. This year, that meant that the top three candidates got two-year terms on the council, and the fourth-place vote-getter got a one-year term.
New council members will be sworn in at the next city council meeting, scheduled for 6:30 p.m. on Oct. 8.
Oct. 1 was also election day for school board seats in Rural Education Attendance Areas around the state. The state expects to finalize the results of that election on Oct. 24.
