Politics

When Michelle DeWitt was appointed to replace a Bethel City Council member, she said that she did not intend to run for reelection. But now she wants to stay. DeWitt said that she changed her mind because of the unique challenges facing the city during these times of pandemic and transition in the city’s management team.

At 23 years of age, Conrad "C.J." McCormick is the youngest person running for Bethel City Council in this election. No stranger to the process, McCormick regularly attended city council meetings while a high school student in Bethel. 

There are four people running for three seats on the Bethel City Council, and Rose "Sugar" Henderson is one of them. She is new to politics but not to civic engagement. She was part of the board for the Bethel Little League, on the Ladies Auxiliary, and worked with the Cub Scouts. She has also worked with the Yukon-Kuskokwim Health Corporation’s hospital governing board. 

Earlier this year, the Bethel City Council hired a new city manager and city attorney, just before the COVID-19 pandemic took hold. While the city manager resigned six months into the job, the city council believes that it struck gold with its other hire.

On Sept. 8, the Bethel City Council redeclared a local disaster emergency after an earlier declaration expired July 25.

On Sept. 8, the Bethel City Council will consider redeclaring a local disaster emergency due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The city’s last emergency declaration expired July 25. This declaration specifies that the city should take all precautions against COVID-19 “until there is no longer a threat.”