Candidates begin to roll in for vacant city seats

Two weeks after the dust has settled from the surprise resignations of the former Libby mayor and a council member, a few names have begun to trickle into city hall in hopes of filling the vacant positions.

According to Libby city administrator Jim Hammons, three city residents have submitted their names for consideration of the open council position: Gary Neff, Dennis Souther and Tammy Brown. None have submitted their candidacy for the open mayor seat.

Neff, a former council member, fielded his name to fill the role left behind by former council member Dejon Raines earlier this month, as did Souther. While several members of the audience expressed support for Neff during the public interview at the Sept. 6 council meeting, the councilors instead chose Gary Beach. In his interview, Neff said he had attended all but two council meetings during the last year and would consider holding the position for several terms. Souther, a newcomer to city government, said he had not been to previous council meetings and was interested in the position to find work after his retirement.

Brown recently came into the public spotlight after becoming the face of the recall effort that failed to remove former mayor Doug Roll from office and for her involvement with the civic group known as The Committee to Move Libby Forward. After a Lincoln County District Judge granted an injunction to end the recall campaign, Roll resigned of his own volition, vacating the mayor seat, which is yet to see any interest from hopeful candidates.

The city of Libby will continue to accept applications for the city positions until Friday. Applications can be dropped off at City Hall, 952 East Spruce Street.

Reporter Seaborn Larson may be reached at 758-4441 or by email at slarson@dailyinterlake.com.