Two Flathead County races to be determined in primary election

West Shore News

Two Flathead County races will be decided in the primary election June 8.

The positions of sheriff and clerk and recorder are both being vied for by Republican candidates.

Absentee voting began May 10.

SHERIFF

The most heated of the races has been the sheriff contest.

Incumbent Sheriff Mike Meehan, of Kalispell, will face off against two challengers. Meehan has been sheriff for 3.5 years and has a total of 19 years in law enforcement.

Lance Norman, of Whitefish, is one of those challengers. He has been a deputy in the sheriff's office for 17 years.

Former Undersheriff Chuck Curry, of Kalispell, is also competing for the position. Curry spent 25 years in the sheriff's office including 14 as undersheriff. He's currently a full-time chief flight paramedic with ALERT helicopter.

The Flathead County Deputy Sheriff's Association announced April 23 that the majority of its members and support staff have no confidence in Meehan's ability to lead the department. In a mail-in vote, 74 percent of the deputies and 80 percent of the non-sworn employees expressed no-confidence in Meehan.

The deputies union also posted anonymous letters detailing allegations against the sheriff, including favoritism, online at www.flatheaddeputies.com.

Claiming an election forum organized by the two unions in the Sheriff's Office was politically motivated, Meehan declined to show up and debate Curry and Norman at the beginning of May.

In a written statement read at the forum, Meehan said he didn't want to participate in an event "associated with political tactics that undermine our political system, slander fellow colleagues and otherwise seek to falsely inflame the public for political gain."

CLERK AND RECORDER

Incumbent Paula Robinson is seeking a third term in the position of Flathead County clerk and recorder. She was first elected in 2002, unseating Sue Haverfield, who had held the elected position since 1985. She was re-elected in 2006 having run unopposed. This election cycle, she's being challenged by fellow Republican Rebekah Eslick Savelle, who retired from the clerk and recorder's office in 2006.

Prior to serving as the elected head of the office, Robinson worked in the clerk and recorder's office for 10 years as deputy clerk. Before that she served as a system operator in the information technology department at Flathead Valley Community College for 10 years and worked in the title insurance business for six years.

Savelle, a resident of Bigfork, spent 25 years working in the clerk and recorder's office, including six years as chief deputy and two years in the plat room. She helped train Robinson when she arrived in the office 18 years ago.

During her time in the office, she spent most of it working with records, but was initially moved around through the various aspects of the office, including elections, though she notes much has changed. Her time in the plat room gave her a chance to work hand-in-hand with those in the GIS department as well.

OTHER RACES

At the county government level, the other contested race is that for open county commissioner position.

Five candidates are fighting for that spot. The field will be narrowed to two during the primaries.

Democrat and incumbent Joe Brenneman will be challenged by Noel Gorton.

Brenneman is a dairy farmer and first took office in 2005. Gorton co-owns and operates Creston Topsoil with her husband, Tom, and works part time at Curves in Kalispell.

Three Republicans are fighting for a spot on the November ballot.

Howard Gipe, who served three terms as county commissioner starting in 1986, has decided to run again. He is retired from the Montana Highway Patrol and owns a stud-horse ranch with his wife, Sandi.

Pam Holmquist, owner of Rocky Mountain Marine, is also running for the seat as is fellow Republican Patrick Nickol. Nickol has worked in construction and started his own contracting business in 2000.

Races for several local judge positions will also be narrowed in the primary election.

All judges races are nonpartisan, and any judges race with two candidates will appear on the June 8 primary ballot. The top-two winners will face off in the Nov. 2 general election.

A new race on this year's ballot was created when the Legislature created a fourth department at Flathead County District Court. Four candidates have filed for the position — current Justice of Peace David Ortley, of Kalispell, Kalispell City Court Judge Heidi Ulbricht, of Kalispell, Whitefish attorney Phyllis Quatman and Kalispell attorney Rich DeJana.

Two Kalispell attorneys have filed for the Justice of Peace Dept. 1 position vacated by Ortley, Daniel Wilson and Glen Neier.

Four candidates will contend for Justice of Peace Dept. 2, including incumbent Mark Sullivan, of Kalispell, Whitefish attorney Eric Hummel, Bigfork attorney Paul Sullivan and sheriff's deputy Travis Bruyer, of Kalispell.

For more information on the election or to register to vote, visit http://flathead.mt.gov/election/.

Information on Lake County elections will be in next week's edition of the West Shore News.