City government seats open throughout Lake County
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LAKE COUNTY — With a June 21 filing deadline fast approaching for municipal elections, there are still ample opportunities to serve in city government up and down the Mission Valley.
In Polson, the question facing the city commission post-election might be: who fills the mayor’s seat if no one tosses a hat in the ring? Mayor Paul Briney’s four-year term expires Dec. 31, and to date, no one has filed for the post.
The mayor serves as presiding officer at commission meetings, and signs all official documents, including ordinances and resolutions adopted by the commission. In turn, he or she receives $6,000 a year (commissioners earn $2,400).
If the city has no mayor as of Jan. 1, the city commission is tasked with appointing an acting mayor to perform those duties until a mayor is appointed. The appointee would then serve until the next general municipal election, when the post would again appear on the ballot.
Polson’s three commission vacancies all have candidates. Jen Ruggless has filed for Ward 1 (a seat currently held by Lou Marchello) and incumbent Brodie Moll has filed to represent Ward 3. Laura Dever has filed for Ward 2, a seat that’s on the ballot in November but is currently vacant following the resignation of Patricia Corrigan-Ekness, who stepped down from the commission June 7. Commissioners will be fielding applications to finish out her term.
In Ronan, Robert “Bob” Sager has filed for the position currently held by long-serving Mayor Kim Aipperspach. The four-year terms of Marilynn Tanner (Ward 1), Chris Adler (Ward 2), and Marlene Melton (Ward 3) expire, as does the term of city judge, now filled by Randy Melton. As of Friday, there were no candidates for those positions.
In St. Ignatius, Mayor Steve McCollum has filed, as have incumbents Daniel Thompson and Chris Heffern for two open seats on the city council. The term of city judge, currently held by Sharon Richardson, expires in 2021 and as of Friday had no candidates.
The filing deadline is 5 p.m. on Monday, June 21, for the Nov. 2 election. For more information on how to file, call the Lake County Election Office at 406-883-7268 or visit www.lakemt.gov/election/electforms.html. Forms may be filled out in the office, located in the Lake County Courthouse in Polson, or downloaded, filled out, notarized and mailed in (those must be received by the filing deadline).
