Election battles take shape across county
Election 2010 officially started on Thursday with candidates intending to run for various county, district and state offices filing their paperwork.
Based on early filings, Lincoln County appears to be in for big changes. For starters, the board of commissioners will have a new representive from the Troy district. Also taking office will be a new county sheriff and 19th Judicial District Court judge.
County officials whose terms are expiring include county commissioner John Konzen, sheriff Daryl Anderson, district 1 justice of the peace Jay Sheffield, district 2 justice of the peace Stormy Langston, clerk and recorder Tammy Lauer, treasurer Nancy Trotter Higgins, coroner Steve Schnackenberg, county attorney Bernard Cassidy, county superintendent of schools Ron Higgins and public administrator Jeannie Dennis.
Sheffield, Langston, Lauer, Higgins and Schnackenberg all filed to run for re-election or stated their intent to file. Cassidy said Thursday he was still undecided, but leaning toward filing. Dennis said at this time, she has no plans to run again.
Michael Prezeau, who has been the 19th Judicial District Court judge since 1995, said Thursday he does not plan to run for re-election.
Jim Wheelis of Helena filed Thursday for the position. Wheelis has 10 years experience as a district judge and practiced law in Lincoln County from 1993-98.
“I’m running because I would like to be of service here,” he said, “where people are independent and concerned about their neighbors and their community.”
As of Friday, Wheelis was the only candidate who had filed.
Konzen, 67, said that after 12 years on the commission, he would not be running for re-election to enjoy his “golden years” with his family.
“It’s a good time to leave. I’m feeling good about the commission and what we’ve achieved,” Konzen said. “I’ve always vowed to myself and my family that I would get out while my health is good.”
Two Troy men, Darren Coldwell and Ron Downey, filed Thursday to run for the position.
“Those are two very good candidates,” Konzen said. “Either one will be able to do a very good job representing district 2.”
Both candidates said they respected the work Konzen has done so far and hope to build on it.
Downey, who was raised in Troy, is president of the Troy Shooting Club and a member of the Rural Fire Board for the Troy area. He worked nearly 20 years for the U.S. Forest Service and has spent the past 22 years on the county road crew for Troy. He’s been the crew foreman since 2002.
“This county needs jobs,” Downey said. “I know that the current commissioners have been working on that diligently and I will continue to work on that. I want to do what I can to help the people of Lincoln County.”
Coldwell grew up in Troy and attended college at the University of Montana. He has been a Troy School Board member for three years, a volunteer firefighter for 17 years, and is a former member of the Lincoln County Port Authority. He is Troy’s fire marshal and has served on the county salary review board for nearly five years. Coldwell has also been a business owner in Troy for 18 years.
Coldwell said he has excellent knowledge of budgets from his experience as a school board trustee, business owner and Port Authority board member
“It’s definitely taught me how to pinch a dime,” Coldwell said. “In my own business I’ve been forced to do that.”
Anderson, who has served as Lincoln County sheriff for 12 years, will not run for re-election, but endorses his patrol captain, Roby Bowe, who filed for the position Thursday.
“I would officially endorse him and I would do anything for him,” Anderson said. “As far as honesty and integrity, you can’t find a better guy than Roby.”
Bowe has 20 years with the sheriff’s office and an additional five years as a reserve deputy and a deputy in another county. Bowe has volunteered for David Thompson Search and Rescue since he was in high school and has been the coordinator between the agency and the sheriff’s office for more than a decade.
“I enjoy working with the community and being part of the community and just helping people out,” Bowe said. “I want to keep the professionalism and keep the integrity in the department.”
The filing period for political offices in November’s election continues through March 15. The primary election will be held June 8 to determine candidates for the Nov. 2 general election.