Candidate selected to run county

Although not yet official, the Lincoln County Board of Commissioners is prepared to select Troy resident Patrick McFadden as the new county administrator.

Commissioners revealed McFadden as their top pick during the board’s Dec. 4 meeting. Plans already were in place to introduce McFadden to department heads when commissioners revealed his identity.

“He’s a really strong leader,” said Commissioner Jerry Bennett (D-2). “He’s going to do well.”

Nothing has been formally signed, but the job offer was made verbally and McFadden has tentatively accepted, officials said. He was one of four candidates to replace former County Administrator Darren Coldwell, who departed Montana for Arizona last month.

After also serving as a school board member and Troy’s mayor, Coldwell took over as city manager in Page, Ariz., on Nov. 12. The cross-country move put Coldwell and his wife closer to their two children, who live in the Phoenix area, he told the Lake Powell Chronicle.

McFadden boasts local ties. Officials said he grew up in Libby, attending school in Lincoln County until the sixth grade. Before moving to Troy, where his wife is a special education teacher, McFadden served in the U.S. Navy.

Part of his military career included serving in the command of a reserve component region, meaning he regularly dealt with various units and hundreds of service members, said County Commissioner Mark Peck (D-1).

“He’s got a lot of good leadership service,” Peck said.

McFadden was one of four candidates in the running for the position. Commissioners described the selection process as difficult given the candidates’ qualifications. All four boasted connections to Lincoln County’s various communities, they said.

McFadden, a graduate of the University of Idaho, is the son of an engineer who worked at the Libby Dam. If the county’s various department heads find McFadden favorable, county commissioners expect him to begin working part time as soon as next week.

They plan to bring him on full time in the new year, officials said.

Peck, who served in the U.S. Air Force, said he would not hold McFadden’s ties to the Navy against him. McFadden piloted a Lockheed P-3 Orion, a sub hunter, during his career. That was a point in his favor, Peck said.

“If he’d been a fighter pilot, I would have been a little more worried,” Peck said. “I love fighter pilots, but they’re not good listeners.”