By Michael Howell
At the Thursday, May 12 meeting of the Stevensville Town Council, Council President Jim Crews, who has been serving as acting mayor since the resignation of former Mayor Paul Ludington, was officially appointed as interim mayor to serve until the next general election.
There were two candidates for the mayor’s position, Crews and Police Department Clerk Brandon Dewey. Both were interviewed separately by the council and asked to answer a number of questions that had been submitted to the candidates in writing. Those interviews were open to the public.
One common refrain heard from the public expressed by many at Thursday’s meeting was that it was a tough choice between two very good candidates. Many of the comments were framed in terms of the contrast between youth, with its accompanying vitality, freshness, and ability to consider new ideas, versus an older “more experienced” candidate, long seasoned in temperament and with a proven track record.
Some members of the public pointed out that Dewey, although young, had a lot of experience with the town government and its day to day activities. He exhibited leadership abilities early on in his high school years and has continued to exhibit those qualities. On the other hand, other members of the public pointed out that Crews also has a lot of energy and vitality and does an incredible amount of research into the issues affecting the town.
Dewey spoke up in his own behalf early in the meeting and said, “We’ve been through a lot of ups and downs, a roller coaster ride of filling vacant positions. We are spending a lot of time trying to put the right people in the right places, but we’ve got other things to do. We’ve got to move forward at some point.”
“To me the mayor’s office is not about power or control, it’s about facilitating the discussion for the community that collectively sets our values and goals and making sure those values that we choose maintain their integrity and that the goals we set are completed so we can go on and set new goals. That’s how we make progress. That’s how we survive,” said Dewey.
Crews, who received a lot of public support during the comment period, said he didn’t ask for anyone to come and “toot his horn” for him.
“I stand up for myself,” said Crews. He went on to say he helped others to stand up for themselves, too. He named council member Robin Holcomb, saying, “I got her standing on her own two feet and I got her to defend herself, because for a long time the council member has been beat up. I’m not going to let that happen.” He went on to say that she could make a pretty good mayor and might be mayor in the future.
“I believe we have a fire ball in [Councilor] Stacie [Barker], she’s not going to be pushed around,” he said.
Crews said that he had no agenda and was not a member of any organization in town.
“I have no allegiances except the town, to Montana and to the United States. I took an oath to that effect in 1973 and it never expired,” said Crews.
Councilor Bob Michalson said that he knew both candidates and they were both great candidates. He said about Crews, “I never heard him say anything bad about anybody.”
Councilor Stacie Barker said that she believed the choice of mayor “should be done by the community, not the council.”
Councilor Robin Holcomb said the candidates “were both good people and it would be a hard decision.”
The vote was taken to appoint Crews and Michalson and Holcomb voted for the motion, Barker voted against. Crews was appointed on a 2 to 1 vote and the swearing in ceremony was set for Tuesday, May 17, at 10 a.m. at Town Hall.
The Council also resolved the vacancy in the position of Municipal Court Judge by consenting to Acting Mayor Jim Crews’ recommended appointment of Maureen O’Connor. Crews interviewed all seven applicants (an eighth candidate withdrew her application) for the job. He said he narrowed it down to the top three which included William Gilbert and Chee Burnsides, but finally selected O’Connor, who was not an applicant in the previous round of applications reviewed by former mayor Ludington.
Crews introduced O’Connor at the special meeting on Wednesday, May 11. O’Connor said that she moved to the Hamilton area in 2014 from northern California. She worked for eleven years as an attorney in the Sacramento County District Attorney’s office. A couple of those years were spent in Bosnia and Croatia instructing local attorneys in international law. From 2002 to 2014, she worked in the juvenile dependency unit for Child Protective Services.
She said that she has spent her career working in public service and is honored to be considered for the position of judge in a local community.
Her appointment was consented to unanimously.
At the May 12 regular meeting, the council approved an annual fee for the municipal court judge position of $18,000.
The council also approved a resolution amending the town’s protocol for using the town’s attorney. The purpose of the modification, according to Crews, was “to insure council has ready access to the town’s attorney.” Right now the mayor has direct access to the town’s attorney to request an opinion. The modified protocol would allow the Council President to access the attorney. He said council members could gain access to the attorney by addressing their question to the Council President who would in turn consult with the Mayor. The Mayor would check to see if there was a record of any position already taken by the attorney’s office on the issue. If not, it would be sent to the attorney for a response. All correspondence between the Mayor, the Council President and the Town Attorney would be shared with the entire council.
The council also considered some way to enforce the town’s business license fee of $25 annually. There are about 26 businesses in the town that were not paying their annual business license fee, some for years, and some never. Town Clerk Stacy Bartlett said that multiple notices have been sent out to all 26, so she is assuming they are simply refusing to pay. Crews told the council that as acting mayor he is looking for guidance on how to remedy the situation.
Councilor Holcomb suggested issuing citations, but after discussion it was decided to seek the Town Attorney’s advice about how to proceed.
The council agreed unanimously to discontinue the survey concerning the utility rate reduction assistance program. The survey was initially approved to last 90 days. To date about two thirds of the respondents expressed support of the program and one third were against it.