Bethel has a new city manager, but she is definitely not new to town.
On Nov. 26, the Bethel City Council approved a contract for Lori Strickler to take on the critically important role of administering the city’s day-to-day operations.
Strickler had been acting city manager since June, after taking over for former acting city manager Bill Arnold, who resigned amid assault allegations. Arnold still heads the city’s public works department.
The city had been without a permanent city manager since June 2023, after long-time city manager Pete Williams retired.
Strickler has previously outlined city administration priorities such as lowering the price of water and sewer services for Bethel residents, addressing uncollected sales tax revenue, and boosting staffing in city departments.
Prior to handling city manager duties, Strickler had long served as Bethel’s city clerk, and was named municipal employee of the year by the Alaska Municipal League in 2019.
Strickler has been hired at an annual salary of $154,000, with benefits, and officially begins in her new position on Dec. 2.
