If you want to run for Bethel City Council, the time to file is now. The filing period to submit your candidacy for the local election is open until Aug. 20.
There will be three seats open this October. Mayor Perry Barr is at the end of a two-year term, and council members Hugh Dyment and Michelle DeWitt are both finishing out terms for council members who resigned. In April, council member Dyment said that he did not intend to run for another term.
Whoever is elected would join Vice-Mayor Haley Hanson, and council members Alyssa Leary, Cecilia "Cece" Franko, and Mark Springer.
Much of the focus this past year for the council has been managing the city’s COVID-19 response. This council has also welcomed new staff in the positions of city manager, city attorney, and police chief, which all turned over since April. The city is still looking to find new leadership to right the ship at the Finance Department. Marijuana and alcohol have repeatedly shown up on the council agenda, like the sale of land to marijuana store Kusko Kush, a transition to local option control of alcohol sales, and a continuing dispute about restaurant curbside alcohol sales.
The candidacy filing period for Bethel City Council is open until Aug. 20. If you have any questions about running, you can email cityclerk@cityofbethel.net.
