Libby City Council candidates
Six candidates running for three full terms
by Kootenai Valley Record
October 16, 2009
Six candidates are running for three four-year positions on the Libby City Council while three – including a write-in candidate – are vying for a single two-year term.
Three current council members – Lee Bothman, Walter McElmurry and Ron Carter – have filed as candidates for the four-year position, along with challengers Vicky Lawrence, Robin Benson and Barbara Desch.
Councilman D.C. Orr, who was appointed to the council last December, filed as a candidate for the two years remaining on his term. Also filing for the two-year vacancy is Charlie Berget and write-in candidate Michael Shock.
The election will be conducted by mail ballots sent out late last week. Ballots must be returned by Election Day, Nov. 3.
Lee Bothman was appointed to the council in September 2003 to fill a vacancy. He was elected to a four-year term in 2005. Bothman and his wife Rhonda own and operate The Printing Press and the Kootenai Valley Record.
A Libby native, Bothman currently serves as council president and chairs the council’s water, sewer, streets, lighting and sidewalk committees. He has been involved in planning for the future of Riverfront Park and on working to improve the city’s water and sewer systems. He said he’s proud of his work on funding packages to save the Libby VFW hall and to build the new lodge at Turner Mountain.
"Making things happen in government is like running in quicksand, and it’s a real learning curve to recognize the constraints of the office," he said.
Walter McElmurry was first appointed to the council in 2003 to fill a vacancy. He was appointed again to fill another vacancy in January 2004. He has worked for the city for the past nine years and is currently supervisor of the city’s water and wastewater plants.
McElmurry is a Libby High School graduate and holds a degree in science from Montana State University-Northern. He said he believes his status as a city employee gives him insight into the daily workings of the city and helps him be an effective council member.
"Being hands-on working for the city, I feel I have firsthand knowledge," he said.
McElmurry said he hopes to continue working to improve the city’s water and sewer infrastructure.
Ron Carter was appointed to the council in March to fill a vacancy. A 1968 graduate of Libby High School, he is employed as an independent contractor.
Carter is also 1972 graduate of the University of Chicago and previously served on the city council in Ward, Colo. He said he feels his experience living and working in other parts of the country, along with his experience in grant writing, is valuable as a council member.
Issues of concern for Carter include the Environmental Protection Agency’s upcoming record of decision for Riverfront Park, the city’s deteriorating water and sewer infrastructure, and oversight of public funding provided to Stinger Welding to establish a facility at the Kootenai Business Park Industrial District.
Vicky Lawrence has lived in Libby for 28 years, during which time she has been active with a number of volunteer organizations, most recently the Libby Tree Board. She has also been involved with the AFS foreign exchange program and works as a private piano teacher. She graduated with honors from Auburn University with a degree in sociology and French.
Lawrence said she decided to run for office "because I care about the future of our community." She said city beautification is a primary interest, and that is tied in with the problem of high water rates.
"Libby won’t look nice until people can afford to water," she said.
Lawrence said she would also like to work on improvements to Riverfront Park and downtown sidewalks and to promote planning for the future rather than just reacting to problems as they arise.
Robin Benson has lived in Libby for more than 30 years. She worked for 14 years for Champion International and Stimson Lumber and for the past five years has been employed at the Lincoln County Clerk and Recorder’s Office.
"My only reason for running for city council is to serve the people and the businesses," she said.
Benson said she will listen to input and will be willing to re-examine her thoughts.
If elected, she said her goal would be to make sound decisions looking out for the best interests of city residents and to work diligently to help keep the cost of living affordable. It is important to me to be available to you and take sincere interest regarding your concerns.
Barbara Desch graduated from Lincoln County High School in 1973 and worked in banking for 15 years. She and her husband, John, moved to Libby in 1991. She worked as a substitute teacher in Libby for several years and was bookkeeper and manager at The Printing Press for four years before starting her own bookkeeping business, R Office, in 2006.
Desch has volunteered with organizations including Nordicfest, Sons of Norway, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, Girl Scouts and the city planning board. She said her main concern is with the city’s infrastructure.
"We need to find funding to help fix our streets and sidewalks," she said. "We have patched them up enough; we need to completely repair them. We also need to get back to replacing and upgrading our water and sewer lines."
D.C. Orr was appointed to the council in December 2008 to fill a vacancy and currently serves on the council’s personnel, sidewalk and police committees. A Libby native and a 1977 graduate of Libby High School, he works as an independent contractor with Marion Orr Excavating.
Orr said he actively attended and participated in city council meetings for 10 years before he was appointed. He said he sees the city and county as "separate entities with diverse interests" and sees the county as exercising undue control over the city that isn’t good for city residents. Some of the candidates in this year’s election are "very heavily country influenced," Orr said, "and I think the voters should be aware of that.
Orr has also been involved in issues surrounding the EPA cleanup of Riverfront Park and said he’s concerned about institutional controls that could be part of the agency’s final plans for the site.
Charlie Berget is a 2009 graduate of Libby High School and the son of former Mayor Tony Berget. An Eagle Scout and a volunteer with Little Guy Wrestling, he is currently employed by Chapman Construction.
Berget said he decided to run for the two-year term because "I figured it would give me a good chance to get some experience in government and help out with a lot of the things that are going down in Libby."
Berget said he would work to learn about issues as they come up and do his best to vote in the best interests of the people of Libby.
Michael Shock is a 1969 graduate of Flathead High School and has been a general contractor for the past 25 years. He previously served in the Navy, worked in the sewer department for the city of Kalispell, was active as a volunteer with Flathead County Search and Rescue, and was maintenance administrator for a nursing home in Washington.
Shock said he feels the citizens of Libby need a voice and to be kept informed about what is going on in the city.
"I will listen to the citizens of Libby, what their wants and needs are, to make Libby a thriving community again," he said.
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Editor’s Note: See the October 13, 2009 edition of the Kootenai Valley Record for the printed version of this story. The Kootenai Valley Record publishes once a week, on Tuesdays, in Libby, Montana. They are a locally owned community newspaper, located at 403 Mineral Avenue in Libby. For in-county and out-of-county subscription information, call 406-293-2424, or e-mail kvrecord@gmail.com.
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