By Michael Howell
Ravalli County is going back to a three-member board of commissioners. Voters approved the three-commissioner board by a vote of 9,242 (78%) in favor to 3,744 (28%) for retaining the five-member board.
Voters rejected the proposed change to six-year terms of office, however, and overwhelmingly approved the current four-year terms by a vote of 9,727 (74%) in favor of keeping the four-year terms to 3,286 (25%) for changing to six-year terms.
Both Regina Plettenberg, the Clerk and Recorder, and Alan Thompson, chairman of the Local Government Study Commission, expressed surprise that the voters did not opt for the six-year terms. Three study commission members favored six-year terms because, they said, it would provide more continuity and stability with staggered terms and a stronger base of knowledge for continuing government leadership. They found that four-year terms cause a majority of commissioners to be elected and could result in less working knowledge of county government. They found that six-year terms elect a minority at each election maintaining more stability and allowing for continuity in government management with no possibility of a majority being elected in any single election. Two study commissioners favored four-year terms as being equally effective government but providing for quicker change if voters are dissatisfied. Voters apparently didn’t see four-year terms as a drawback, or at least not a serious enough drawback not to stick with short terms because the ballot box is about the only way that an elected official can be held accountable.
The local government study commission recognized that four-year terms was a potential outcome, according to Thompson, and there is a plan to transition to three commissioners with four-year terms. According to both Plettenberg and Thompson, all the candidates for the two seats on the commission that are open, Greg Chilcott, Jay Blakslee and Dave Smith in District #2 and Chris Hoffman and J.R. Iman in District #3, were warned that their term of office would be for only two years if the voters chose a three-person board and four-year terms.
As it is, according to Thompson, the plan will probably not change from all five commission seats expiring in 2018. In November of 2018, elections will then be held for all three seats on the board. Upon taking office in January 2019, the three elected officials will draw straws for term lengths. Two will serve four-year terms and one will serve a two-year term initially and after that a four-year term.
The Local Government Study Commission will meet on Wednesday, June 29, at 1 p.m. at the commissioners’ conference room to official adopt a transition plan.
The voters also rejected a proposal to make all county elections non-partisan. 8,266 (64%) voted to keep partisan elections while only 4,516 (35%) voted for non-partisan elections.
In other election news, the majority of Hamilton voters support keeping their existing mayor/council form of government.
Hamilton voters opted to keep their existing form of government by a vote of 621 (54%) to a vote of 510 (45%) in favor of changing to a commission/manager form of charter government.
Voters also approved a mill levy to support the Ravalli County Museum. The levy is expected to produce about $74,000 annually for operations. The county owns the building that houses the museum, the old county courthouse building, but no tax money has ever been used on operations. The Bitterroot Valley Historical Society has always operated the museum using membership, fees, donations and fundraisers. The BVHS has been operating the museum on a deficit budget of about $40,000 annually. The operating expenses total about $195,000. Aside from covering the deficit, the levy will add a degree of predictability and sustainability to the museum’s operations and allow for expansion of services based on donations and other means of revenue. The vote to approve the levy was 7,728 (59%) in favor and 5,233 (40%) against.
Sheriff Chris Hoffman ran away with the District 3 Commissioner seat, handily ousting incumbent J.R. Iman in the Republican primary on a vote of 6,084 (68%) to 2,717 (30%). Hoffman faces no opposition on the November ballot. Hoffman ran an aggressive campaign that was critical of the commissioners’ past efforts at micromanaging departments and other elected offices through what he claimed was abuse of the budgetary process.
Incumbent Commissioner Greg Chilcott beat out his rival in the primary, Jay Blakslee, on a vote of 5,135 (60%) to 3,335 (39%). Chilcott will face Democrat Dave Smith in the November election. Smith ran unopposed for the seat in the Democratic primary.
Ravalli County Republicans clearly support Donald Trump for President. Trump garnered 6,281 votes in the Republican primary here. The next best was Ted Cruz with 1,125.
Selected with no Republican opposition were Ryan Zinke for U. S. Representative; Corey Stapleton for Secretary of State; Matt Rosendale for State Auditor; Tim Fox for Attorney General; Elsie Arntsen for State Superintendent of Public Schools; Bob Lake for Public Service Commission District 4; Fred Thomas for State Senator District 44; Ron Ehli for State Rep. District 86; Nancy Ballance for State Rep. District 87; Edward Greef for State Rep. District 88; Page Allen Trautwein for District Court Clerk.
In Republican contested races, Theresa Manzella beat out Scott Ralston, 1,430 to 1,137, for State Rep. District 85. Greg Gianforte/Leslie Robinson beat out Terry Nelson/Niki Sardot for the Governor/Lieutenant Gov Republican ticket 5,637 to 2,561.
In the Democratic primary, Bernie Sanders beat Hillary Clinton 2,133 to 1,855. Bullock/Cooney defeated McChesney/Anderson 3,618 to 329 for the Governor/Lt. Gov offices. James Olsen defeated Lee Tickell, 936 to 582, for State Senate District 44. Olsen will run against incumbent Fred Thomas in the November election. Gail Gutsche outstripped Mark Sweeney and Lee Tavenner for the Public Service Commission District 4 seat on a vote of 2,032 to 954 to 326 respectively. Gutsche will face incumbent Bob Lake in the November election.
Unopposed candidates on the Democratic primary ballot included Denise Juneau for U.S. House of Representatives; Monica Lindeen for Secretary of State; Larry Jent for Attorney General; Jesse Laslovich for State Auditor; Melissa Romano for State Superintendent of Public Schools; A. Jo Young for State Rep District 85; Nancy Neal for State Rep. District 86; Mark Snider for State Rep. District 87; Margaret Gorski for State Rep. District 88; Dave Smith County Commissioner District 2.
In non-partisan races, Mike McGrath ran without opposition for Supreme Court Chief Justice as did Jim Shea for Supreme Court Justice #4. Kristen Juras defeated Dirk Sandefur and Eric Mills for Supreme Court Justice #3 on a vote of 4,623 to 2,831 to 2,450, respectively. Juras and Sandefur will face off in the November election. Incumbent Jeff Langton beat Robert Myers for District Court Judge, Dept. 1 on a vote of 7,997 to 4,154. The two will face each other again in the November election.
The total number of registered voters in Ravalli County is 28,340. The total number of votes cast in this election was 13,548 for a voter turnout of 47.8%. 9,345 voted on the Republican ballot and 4,203 voted Democratic.