City of Bethel

Earlier this year, Bethel firefighters accused the City of Bethel of cutting their hourly pay by nearly a third. The city said the reduction wasn’t a pay cut, but a return to the status quo after thousands of dollars were mistakenly paid to employees. A partial resolution still leaves questions about the long-term future of the Bethel Fire Department.

On Oct. 20, the Bethel City Council voted unanimously to re-elect Henderson to a one-year term as mayor. Council member Alicia Miner has been elected to a one-year term as vice mayor.

Alaska has seen skyrocketing gas prices driven by the war in Iran. But communities in the western part of the state that have been burning last year’s fuel are bracing for their own crisis as they anticipate what could be an even more drastic spike with the arrival of the first barges of the spring.

In separate incidents in 2023 captured on police body cameras, Bernard Mael and Nicholas Kerr claimed that Bethel police caused them serious harm. A criminal trial is pending for a former officer involved in both incidents.

On Oct. 2, four candidates running for four seats on the council made their cases for how to strengthen the community, and what they can bring to the table.

Bethel City Manager Lori Strickler said the properties had not been paying for water services, although some may have been using water for multiple years. She said property owners or renters can create an account with the city to have services resumed.

With water flowing to all but a handful of properties, the city says it expects to have an update on the boil water notice on the evening of Feb. 6.

Candidates must be registered to vote in Alaska, have lived in Bethel for at least one year, and must submit a letter of intent to the city clerk's office by 5 p.m on Feb. 4, either in person or by emailing cityclerk@cityofbethel.net.

Bethel City Council’s final meeting of the year on Dec. 19 brought a level of public engagement rarely seen at City Hall.

One month into the permanent position, Lori Strickler says she's already started tackling goals that have long been on her mind.