Town Manager Sharon Jackson was recently given a new contract to serve through Oct. 31, 2027.

The wage is the same —  $75 per hour. Other provisions include mileage reimbursement to and from her residence in Oxford to the Town Office.

Jackson was named interim town manager in 2023 when former manager Natalie Andrews left. A new contract was approved in July 2024 and extended through Oct. 31, 2025. The new contract extends to Oct. 31, 2027.

Jackson has wide-ranging experience, having served as town manager for 10 years in Fryeburg and five in Paris. In Oxford she has been finance director, served twice as interim town manager, and was on the Select Board.

Bethel Airport Coordinator Randy Autrey said Jackson’s sweet demeanor balanced by her toughness when necessary has earned her the nickname Honey Bear.

According to Bethel Town Code, “The Town Manager shall be responsible to the Select Board for the proper administration of all affairs of the Town.”

Bethel’s track record for keeping town managers is spotty compared to other nearby towns. Jackson is the seventh town manager in 11 years. Three of the seven managers were interim positions.

Andrews, who is now town manager for Paris, lasted less than a year in Bethel. When she resigned in 2023, she cited a lack of cohesive support from the Select Board. 

In nearby Woodstock, Town Manager Vern Maxwell stayed 37 years. Greenwood’s Kim Sparks has been on board as manager of that town for nearly 22 years.

Newry Town Manager Loretta Powers served as town manager in Bethel from 2018 until 2022, but left to serve in her hometown of Newry where she had worked as administrator from 1998 to 2015.