Administration
Janet Mitchell, Administrator
My name is Janet Mitchell and I was born and raised in Kivalina. I graduated with high honors from the McQueen High School in Kivalina. I have an associates degree in Business Administration with plans of earning a bachelors in business administration with a concentration in marketing. I am certified under the ICS and NIMS programs through the Division of Homeland Security. I am a 1st responder as a financial advisor in the event of emergency situations for Kivalina, Alaska.
My volunteer services included being the secretary/treasurer/president of the Kivalina Health Board, secretary/treasurer for the Kivalina IRA Council, music instructor assistant for the youth singing group, member/vice president for Episcopal Churchwomen, member for volunteer fire department, member of search and rescue, member of Noatak search and rescue, member of Noatak Lions Club and aide to the Qinugan Inupiaq Dance Group. I was also basketball coach first for Junior High team then later for the girls varsity team.
Since my employment began in December of 2005, with the help of the 2006 council members which consisted of Austin Swan Sr., Enoch Adams Jr., Joseph Swan Jr., Lucy S. Adams and Alice A. Adams, one of our significant accomplishments was to restructure city operations from the red to the black in terms of basic operating costs and the debts were overwhelming. They supported all my efforts and plans to restructure operations at the city office. However, the only debt that remains is the old payroll tax debt dating back from 2003 to 2005 which still exists today.
Finances found the City so bad in 2004 there was an attempt by Northwest Arctic Borough Public Services Director Tom Bolen to gain control over City operations to the Borough by resolution, which was passed and approved by the council at the time under that Administration. However, before it came into effect, in 2005, the newly hired administrator was instructed by me to do another resolution revoking that document. I had been working as a sub administrator at the time while there was a transition so I was aware of it. The transfer of city operations to Borough never occurred.
I was part of the team of seven [(7) new council members)] that restructured operations of the Kivalina IRA Council in 1986 also from the red to the black. I was appointed secretary/treasurer for the council when we were first elected. The prior tribal council at the time had the financial situation in such debt with the federal government that they ceased all funding opportunities until the money that had been mismanaged was returned to them. The Kivalina IRA Council hired new administration and with her we began working on repaying the debt to the federal government. The Tribal Office has been on it's feet every since under that administration.
City Clerk
Marilyn Swan, City Clerk
My name is Marilyn Swan and I was born and raised in Kivalina, Alaska. I am a mother of four and currently have five grandchildren. I spent my elementary years in Kivalina, and we didn't have a high school so most of my classmates and I had to travel to a boarding school, and I ended up in Mt. Edgecumbe High in Sitka, Alaska. I went there in August of 1968 and graduated in 1973. I am working towards an associates degree in Accounting and plan on working on my bachelors degree with a concentration in finances. I am certified under the ICS and NIMS programs with the Division of Homeland Security. I am a 1st responder as information coordinator.
All my years of employment with various employers has always been with office work beginning as a secretary for the high school governing body in Mt. Edgecumbe. I started work in 1976 as City Clerk and worked for three years for the City of Kivalina, then as a secretary for McQueen School and NWABSD Main office for seven years working for Ms. Bobbe Bluett, returned home to work as a City Clerk again from 1994 to 2004, resigned and moved to Kotzebue to work for Kim Haviland as an Office Coordinator for Behavioral Services at Maniilaq Association from 2005 to 2007. I returned to Kivalina in 2008 and once again was hired for the job as city clerk in where I am presently in.
I am a member and secretary of the Episcopal Churchwomen, was a member and secretary of the Kivalina Health Board, an officer and member for the Volunteer Fire Department, an instructor for the Episcopal youth singing group Nutagaqs, and a volunteer fundraiser for the Qinugan Inupiaq Dance Group.
I assisted in reorganizing the local Search and Rescue in 1994, which was a then defunct gaming organization because of previous mismanagement, we brought it back up to par with the Department of Revenue to restart gaming operations to raise monies for search and rescue activities. I was the Alternate Member for 6 years, assisting in bookkeeping and accounting for the organization as well as payroll accounting and did the annual reports to the State.