Primary election picture complete
The filing deadline to run for county and state elected positions ended Monday, beginning the 12-week countdown to the primary election.
Two Libby attorneys – James Reintsma and Robert Slomski – recently joined Jim Wheelis of Helena in running for 19th Judicial District Court judge.
Reintsma has worked as a public defender, prosecutor and private lawyer in his nine years as an attorney in Montana. Slomski has served 30 years as a county attorney in Missoula, Sanders and Lincoln counties. Wheelis has 10 years experience as a district judge and has practiced law in Lincoln County from 1993-98. Judge Michael Prezeau is not running for re-election.
Larry Coryell joined three other Troy candidates – Darren Coldwell, Ron Downey and Glenn “Louie” Garrison – last week in filing to run for the District 2 seat in the Lincoln County Board of Commissioners. Coryell is retired from a 27-year career with the U.S. Forest Service and has served two years on the Troy City Council. The commissioner position, which is currently held by the retiring John Konzen, represents Troy and western Libby.
Richard “Rick” Morrow of Libby filed for sheriff Monday morning, joining four other candidates – Tessa Anderson of Trego, Kelly Beasley of Troy, Roby Bowe of Libby and Rex Nichols of Eureka.
Anderson has no law-enforcement background, but hopes to “bring stability and perspective to the office.” She said that she would get involved with county emergency planning and push for more equitable law-enforcement coverage between northern and southern Lincoln County.
Beasley is a 24-year U.S. Air Force veteran and more recently was an operations manager for Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway. He believes his leadership experience as a military officer will allow him to “take a fresh look” at county law enforcement.
Current Sheriff Daryl Anderson, who is retiring this year, endorses Roby Bowe, the patrol captain for the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office. Bowe has 25 years of law-enforcement experience, 20 of which were served as a full-time deputy for Lincoln County. Bowe said that he would keep the professionalism of the department and continue to work closely with communities.
Morrow has five years experience in the military police arena and five years in civilian law enforcement, including at the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office. Included in his background is a bachelor’s degree in criminology.
Nichols has worked in the securities and insurance business for more than 40 years and has four years of law-enforcement experience. He believes that a sheriff holds a powerful position in regards to individual rights.
“I want to help retain or recover some of the rights that have been taken away from us,” Nichols said, “and rights that are intended to be taken away from us.”
Justice of the Peace Stormy Langston will defend her District 2 seat, which encompasses northern Lincoln County, against candidates Gary Crandall of Eureka and Steve Romano of Trego.
Before Langston took office in 2007, she used her master’s degree in criminal justice to serve in community corrections, juvenile probation and as a licensed substance abuse counselor.
Crandall has served 20 years in the military and has worked four years in a maximum security penitentiary in California. Last August he opened a pawn shop in Eureka.
He said he believes in second chances but he will not let repeat offenders off the hook.
“I believe in redemption,” Crandall said. “I believe in giving a second chance, rarely a third chance and never a fourth chance.”
Romano said he was raised with a strong sense of right and wrong and would rule in an unbiased and fair manner. A veteran of the U.S. Armed Forces, he owns a hand-painted sign business and has served a one-year term on the Trego Civic Center Council Board.
Patricia L. Noble, the sole candidate for public administrator, filed Monday. Jeannie Dennis is not running for re-election.
Two seats are up for election for Conservation District supervisor. Susan Ennenbach of Eureka and Donald G. Crawford of Libby are vying to take over a vacant unexpired term. Wayne Maahs of Libby and Mark Romey of Libby are in contention for a four-year term.
Uncontested county incumbents are Clerk and Recorder Tammy Lauer, Coroner Steven Schnackenberg, County Attorney Bernard Cassidy, southern Lincoln County Justice of the Peace Jay Sheffield, Treasurer Nancy Trotter Higgins and County Superintendent of Schools Ron Higgins.
Chas Vincent, current Montana House District 2 representative, is running for the State Senate District 1 seat currently held by Aubyn Curtiss. Curtiss reached her term limit. He will be contested in the primary by fellow Republican Rhoda Cargill, who filed on Monday.
Republicans Matt Charlton and Mike Cuffe, and Democrat Tim Linehan are vying for Vincent’s current seat. Charlton of Trego filed Monday.
Incumbent Gerald “Jerry” Bennett, Republican, will defend his HD 1 seat against Eileen Carney, Democrat. Carney served in the state legislature from 2001-04.
The primary election will be held Tuesday, June 8, although absentee ballots will be mailed out as early as May 10, according to Tammy Lauer, county elections administrator.
A measure to drop political party affiliations from ballots passed last fall, so this year’s primary election will be the first in which county candidates, regardless of political party, will be on one ballot. The top two then advance to the general election.
Party affiliations for state senate and house positions remain on the ballot.
2010 Primary Election Candidates
County Commissioner, District 2
• Darren Coldwell
• Larry L. Coryell
• Ron Downey
• Glenn “Louie” Garrison
Clerk and Recorder
• Tammy D. Lauer
Conservation District Supervisor
Unexpired Term
• Susan Ennenbach
• Donald G. Crawford
Conservation District Supervisor
4-Year Term
• Wayne Maahs
• Mark Romey
Coroner
• Steven H. Schnackenberg
County Attorney
• Bernard G. Cassidy
County Public Administrator
• Patricia L. Noble
Judge, District 19
• James D. Reintsma
• Robert Slomski
• Jim Wheelis
Justice of the Peace, District 1
• Jay C. Sheffield
Justice of the Peace, District 2
• Gary Dean Crandall
• Stormy Langston
• Steve R. Romano
Sheriff
• Tessa Lynn Anderson
• Kelly Beasley
• Roby R. Bowe
• Richard “Rick” S. Morrow
• Rex Nichols
County Superintendent of Schools
• Ronald R. Higgins
County Treasurer
• Nancy Trotter Higgins
State Senate, District 1
• Chas V. Vincent - R
• Rhoda Cargill - R
State Representative, House District 1
• Gerald “Jerry” Bennett - R
• Eileen Carney - D
State Representative, House District 2 • Matt Charlton - R
• Mike Cuffe - R
• Tim Linehan – D