There’s been another shakeup of local government in the City of Gustavus.
The city hall has been struggling following the resignation of key staffers.
For the past month, Gustavus city hall has been staffed by city council members following the abrupt departure of its entire administrative staff.
The resignations of the two employees followed the firing of a longtime librarian by Mayor Connie Edwards, who was sworn in last month. The city isn’t saying why its clerk and administrative assistant quit and it’s unclear whether their departure and the librarian’s firing were connected.
But at Monday’s City Council meeting, Mayor Connie Edwards resigned her seat from city council, which leaves Gustavus without a sitting mayor.
The remaining City Council then voted to reinstate librarian Kate Boesser the mayor had fired last month.
“Kate has worked here as the librarian for a number of years, she’s very popular and everyone felt she had done her librarian job very well,” said City Councilman Mike Taylor who was helping staff city hall on Tuesday morning. “We’re happy to have her back in the librarian position and I think the community will be happy to have her there.”
The city is seeking to fill the positions of clerk and administrative assistant.
“In the meantime, those functions are being covered to the extent we can by council members,” Taylor said, “With some assistance from other members of the community with some expertise that’s been offered.”
The City of Gustavus has a year-round population of less than 500 and is the gateway to Glacier Bay National Park.
