Earlier this year, the City of Minidoka had some big changes in leadership. Last year, Mayor Matthew Shaefer resigned for health reasons. Minidoka doesn’t have many registered voters as residents who are also interested in being involved in city government. Further, there are often conflicts where one of the Council is not able to be present. To maintain a full City Council, no action was taken that might remove a member of the Council without a potential replacement. Fortunately, some citizens show interest in getting involved and to assist the work of the City. With a potential to serve on Council, the City was ready to move forward.

On January 7, 2025, the Minidoka City Council appointed a new Mayor. She was sworn in at that time. Welcome to Mayor Julie Peterson!

Julie Peterson formally resigned her seat on the City Council. That left a vacancy for which she then appointed a new councilman. With that, she appointed Bridget Frost as a new Councilwoman. She was sworn in at that time. Welcome Councilwoman Frost!

I don’t know how many Mayors or Councilman Minidoka has had since its incorporation in 1905, or how many informal Mayors it had from when it was first settled about 1884. Obviously the name of Minidoka was used for the Bureau of Reclamation Project signed by Theodore Roosevelt in 1902 which brought the Minidoka Dam and water to the whole area (but not the City of Minidoka). Minidoka County was created from Lincoln County in 1913. Part of that Reclamation Project also had the later World War II Japanese internment camp, Minidoka Relocation Camp (while not in Minidoka County, it was within the Minidoka Reclamation Project.

There is a new Mayor in Minidoka City. A full City Council too! Time to get down to business.