Libby seeks applicants for City Council vacancy

Libby city officials are anticipating a search for a new City Council member soon after the start of the new year.

The appointee will fill the void expected to be created by the resignation of Councilwoman Robin Benson, who will take office in January as Lincoln County’s newly elected clerk and recorder. Benson said she plans to resign her City Council position on Dec. 31.

“I would assume, as we always have in the past, that we will advertise for letters of interest,” Mayor Doug Roll said. “Technically, we can’t advertise until after she leaves.”

Benson, who is currently employed as a deputy in the Lincoln County Clerk and Recorder’s Office, was first elected to the Libby City Council in 2009 and won election to a second term in 2013. An appointed replacement will serve until the remainder of Benson’s term can be filled in the November 2015 municipal election.

City Council President Bill Bischoff said state law does not specifically preclude a person from holding two different elected positions. Potential conflicts are decided on a case-by-case basis relying on the common-law principle of incompatible offices.

If decisions made in one position would be likely to have an effect in the realm of the second position, a clear conflict would exist. Bischoff said he doesn’t see a clear conflict between the positions of clerk and recorder and City Council member. However, he said concerns remain about “public perception.”

Benson said her decision to resign is based less on concerns about conflict between the two offices than on her own commitment to the positions.

“I honestly feel that two elected positions mean you’re not going to do one of them well,” Benson said.

She said she plans to continue serving the city as a board member of the Libby Area Chamber of Commerce, but she doesn’t feel she could devote the necessary time to both the city and county positions if she held the two simultaneously.

Benson said she will remain active as a City Council member until the end of December, and she invites anyone with an interest in serving as her replacement to contact her with any questions.

“I want to help the process,” she said.

The City Council is required by state law to fill a vacancy within 30 days.

“We usually go the full 30 days, so by the end of January we should have somebody figured out for that,” Roll said.

The City Council will review applications and will conduct interviews in a public meeting, Roll said. The appointment will be made according to parliamentary procedure, with a City Council member making a motion followed by a second and a vote, he said.

Roll said he’d like to see letters of interest from community-minded people interested in public service.

“That’s all we’re looking for,” he said. “We’re not looking for someone with an ax to grind.”