Libby mayor admits mistake during his appointment

Libby’s mayor recently admitted that the council made an error during his appointment.

During the Sept. 28 city council meeting in which Brent Teske was appointed mayor, Peggy Williams chaired the meeting as council president.

Teske said that, due to the council’s lack of knowledge, Williams was appointed council president without being elected by the council body as a whole.

It is written under Libby City Charter Sec. 2.08, that if the mayor is unable or unwilling to discharge the duties of his office, the council president must be present to ensure to continuity of government. Therefore, in the event that both the mayor and the council president seats are empty, the council president must be appointed before the mayor as required by law.

When the city makes a decision that’s unconstitutional, it has 30 days to correct it, former Councilman D.C. Orr said. Teske said the council would correct the situation in the near future.

Williams did not comment for this story.

Bethany Rolfson can be reached at 293-4124 or by email at reporter@thewesternnews.com.