Troy officials interview city judge candidates

Troy officials interviewed four candidates for the municipality’s city judge position last week.

The majority of applicants who presented themselves on Nov. 9 spent a significant portion of their careers in the military.

Along with a background in sales, cooking and mechanics, Christopher Koehn would bring five years of experience in the 82nd Airborne Division to the position.

Patrick McFadden, former Lincoln County administrator, served as a commander in the Navy, where — among other duties — he adjudicated non-judicial punishment cases, flew several types of aircraft and served as a maintenance officer.

Ron Traenkner* told the city interview panel that he had served 23 years in the military with a portion of his career in the Air Force dedicated to the oversight of nuclear weapons.

Misty Webley who helps organize events in the Troy community, applied for the post hoping to fulfill a childhood dream of working in the justice system.

Though none of the candidates mentioned having any formal legal education, Montana regulations do not require city court judges to hold law degrees. City court judges oversee cases concerning violations of city ordinances.

Mayor Dallas Carr, who sat on the interview panel with Robbee Pennock, city judge, and city councilors Shawna Kelsey and Crystal Denton, said officials planned to settle on a candidate by late next week.

*An earlier version of this article included a misspelling of Traenkner's name taken from city documents