Bethel’s acting city manager resigns after assault charge

Bethel City Hall (Christine Trudeau/KYUK)

Bethel’s acting metropolis head has stepped down from his position. Bill Arnold’s resignation comes aft he was charged pinch misdemeanor battle connected Sunday.

Mayor Mark Springer said astatine a metropolis assembly gathering Tuesday that Arnold, 56, had resigned from his acting head position nan erstwhile day.

“I received a matter from Bill Arnold saying, ‘Effective immediately, I’m stepping down arsenic acting metropolis head and stepping backmost into nan domiciled of Public Works Director,’” Springer told nan assembly during nan meeting.

Arnold started arsenic acting metropolis head successful November 2023.

Acting Bethel Police Chief Christopher Wigner wrote successful a connection that connected Sunday evening, a female flagged down constabulary officers to study an assault. Wigner wrote that aft an first investigation, Arnold was arrested for alleged battle and taken to nan Yukon-Kuskokwim Correctional Center (YKCC).

Arnold has been charged pinch 1 count of battle successful nan case. Wigner said that Arnold’s lawsuit is still nether investigation and has been turned complete to nan authorities Office of Special Prosecutions.

On Tuesday, nan Bethel City Council voted unanimously to name City Clerk Lori Strickler arsenic acting metropolis manager, effective immediately.

According to a document presented to nan metropolis council, Arnold was group to return 5 weeks of yearly time off from mid-July to mid-August, during which clip he requested that Strickler beryllium appointed nan interim metropolis manager. In ray of Arnold’s resignation, during nan Tuesday meeting, assembly members amended that petition to beryllium effective instantly and extended it until a imperishable metropolis head is hired.

Strickler said that will require immoderate large shifts successful nan clerk’s office.

“As an acting employee, I would modulation arsenic overmuch arsenic I could retired of nan metropolis clerk’s agency to debar dual positions, dual roles wrong nan organization,” Strickler said. “The metropolis clerk has to beryllium very neutral successful nan measurement that they interact pinch nan nationalist and nan council. The metropolis manager’s domiciled is wholly different, right? The metropolis head has to make decisions and return actions based disconnected of what’s successful nan champion liking of nan metropolis and supply recommendations to nan assembly successful that aforesaid vein.”

While Strickler serves arsenic acting metropolis manager, lawman clerk Kevin Morgan will service arsenic nan acting metropolis clerk. Under section code, while serving successful their acting roles Strickler and Morgan will person a 10% salary summation from their existent salaries. Although Arnold is nary longer nan acting metropolis manager, he has moved backmost into his erstwhile domiciled arsenic nan Bethel Public Works Director.