Brodehl has Democrat challenger for Flathead commission seat

Flathead County commissioner Republican Randy Brodehl will face challenger Democrat Jim Lockwood in this fall’s election. 

Brodehl is seeking his second term in the position to represent District 3 in the western part of the county. He previously served as a representative for House District 9 in the state Legislature. 

Brodehl was a volunteer and career firefighter for nearly four decades, eventually retiring as fire chief with the Kalispell Fire Department. 

A retired attorney, Lockwood moved to Whitefish after a career in Washington, D.C. 

He is a graduate of Montana State University and served in the Vietnam War. He spent more than a decade leading the Whitefish Animal Group, the nonprofit behind the WAG dog park. 

In the clerk of court race, Republican Sara Fredenberg Smith is the only candidate to file for the position. She now serves as a deputy clerk. 

Longtime incumbent Clerk of Court Peg Allison did not file for re-election. 

In the district court judge races, incumbents Amy Eddy and Heidi Ulbricht have filed to retain their seats on the bench. 

Eddy was appointed to her position in 2015 and has since won re-election to retain her seat. Ulbricht served as Kalispell municipal judge before being elected to the district court bench in 2012. 

Paul Sullivan and Eric Hummel, who both serve as Justice of the Peace judges, have filed for the Department B spot held by Judge Robert Allison, who is not seeking another term.

Sullivan has served in justice court since his election in 2018. Prior to that, he was a private attorney for nearly a decade. 

Hummel was appointed to justice court and took the bench in 2017. Prior to that, he served as a prosecutor for the Flathead County Attorney’s Office. He also has been a private attorney and contract public defender, as well as a substitute judge for Kalispell Municipal Court.

The primary election is June 4. The general election is Nov. 5. 

Features Editor Heidi Desch may be reached at 758-4421 or hdesch@dailyinterlake.com.