Commissioner selection delayed until Monday

Selection of a third Flathead County commissioner has been delayed until Monday.

To make the appointment, commissioners needed to have an action item on their meeting agenda. Providing adequate public notice requires waiting until Monday.

It’s now listed for discussion at 10:45 a.m. April 16.

On Thursday morning, Commissioners Dale Lauman and Pam Holmquist interviewed the third nominee for the open District 1 position created by the March 19 death of Jim Dupont.

Ben Stormes was interviewed Thursday, following Monday’s interviews of Lyle Phillips and Cal Scott.

The names of those three Republicans were presented to commissioners last week by the Flathead County Republican Central Committee.

Whoever is selected as the interim commissioner will hold office until the end of the year.

Separately, voters will elect a new District 1 commissioner in the Nov. 6 general election. That elected commissioner will be in office until the end of 2014, when Dupont’s term would have expired.

Eight Republicans are running for the seat, and at the June 5 primary election voters will select one candidate to advance to the November general election to face Democrat candidate Gil Jordan.

Republican candidates include Stormes, of Whitefish, and Scott, of Kalispell, who also are nominees for the interim spot. Other Republican candidates are Kirk Gentry of Columbia Falls, Rod Bernhardson of Whitefish, Mike Shepard of Columbia Falls, Chris Hyatt of Whitefish, Glenn Kolodejchuk of Kalispell and Doug Adams of Whitefish.

Reporter Shelley Ridenour may be reached at 758-4439 or sridenour@dailyinterlake.com.