Election: Roll retains seat as Libby mayor
Canda Harbaugh/The Western News Election judges Marilyn Edwards, from left, Terri Sanderson, Claudine Merrell and Joan Clough separate ballot from envelope in assembly line fashion Tuesday afternoon.
Incumbent Doug Roll kept his title as Libby mayor in a roughly 60-40 split against councilmember Peggy Williams.
The council’s institutional knowledge was curtailed by losing veterans Lee Bothman and Walter McElmurry in the race, but Roll is still on board with one year as mayor under his belt and five years experience on the council.
Roll was appointed in November 2008 after former mayor Tony Berget became a county commissioner. Also, Williams retains her position on the council with two years left of her elected term.
Roll said that he anticipates putting an emphasis in the next year on improving city sidewalks.
“We’ll move forward,” Roll said, “continuing in the same direction as far as improving infrastructure.”
If Williams had won the mayoral election, she would have joined an elite group. The only woman in Libby history to serve as mayor was Anne Brockway, who served two terms from 1957-63 before retiring.