A former Bethel City Council member will not continue to be a consultant with the city. KYUK’s Johanna Eurich reports that a motion to pay Leif Albertson to provide health information to the Bethel Emergency Operation Center failed to pass.
Leif Albertson was given the job at $90 an hour by acting city manager Bill Howell under an emergency declaration to deal with the coronavirus. Now that the declaration has expired, a waiver is required for him to keep doing the job. City council members turned it down.
Their concerns were not centered on whether Albertson was qualified. No one questioned his qualifications during debate, but they did question paying him $90 an hour. A few weeks ago, the city put out Albertson’s job as a temporary position at $60 an hour and no one applied.
Every council member who spoke questioned the process behind the sole-source contract with Albertson. When the vote came, no one voted to continue it.