Apply for interim commissioner's seat by Friday

North Valley Republicans who want to be considered as nominees for interim District 1 county commissioner have until the end of the day Friday to apply for the post.

Sandy Welch, chairwoman of the Flathead County Republican Central Committee, outlined the committee’s plans to fill the seat vacated by the death last week of Commissioner Jim Dupont.

The central committee must submit the names of three nominees to the county commissioners, who then select the interim commissioner. The interim post expires at the end of this year.

Separately, county voters will elect a new commissioner in November to fill out the final two years of Dupont’s term.

Interested candidates for the interim job must live in District 1, which covers the northern portion of Flathead County including Columbia Falls, the Canyon and Whitefish.

People should submit letters of interest, resumes and confirmation of their eligibility to the central committee, either by email at fcrcco@gmail.com or by mail to P.O. Box 2455, Kalispell, MT 59903 by 5 p.m. Friday, March 30.

Executive committee members will hold a conference call on Saturday afternoon to decide which candidates they will interview, Welch said.

Selected candidates will be interviewed beginning at 6:30 p.m. Monday, April 2, in the commissioners’ chambers on the third floor of the courthouse. The public may attend the candidate interviews, but no questions from the public will be allowed during the interviews, Welch said.

A closed meeting of the Republican Central Committee, Republican precinct committee people and elected Republican office holders is set for 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 3 when the slate of three nominees will be finalized by the executive committee.

At 8 p.m. Tuesday, the executive committee will present the three names to the central committee for a final vote. If the slate is not approved by a majority vote, an alternative slate of three names will be nominated from the floor and voted on, Welch said, as many times as necessary to have three candidates who have received support from a majority of central committee members voting at the meeting.

The closed Tuesday meetings are scheduled in the campaign office of Rep. Denny Rehberg at 116 Main St. in Kalispell.

County commissioners may select one of the three nominees or reject all the nominees and ask for a new slate.

The appointment of a interim commissioner has no bearing on the June 5 primary election.

In the primary, voters will select one of the eight Republican candidates (Doug Adams, Kirk Gentry, M. Glenn Kolodejchuk, Mike Shepard, Ben Stormes, Rod Bernhardson, Chris Hyatt or Cal Scott) to advance to the Nov. 6 general election to face Democrat Gil Jordan, who is unopposed in the primary election.

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