Intriguing Races, Issues Fill June Primary Ballot

The deadline to file for the upcoming election has now passed. With candidates set, the race is on to campaign. Valley County Clerk Lynne Nyquist explained that the high number of candidates was enough to call for a primary on June 3.

A few last minute filings for the county justice of peace added up to six candidates for the position. Christine Gamas, Dave Gorton, Christina Hillman, Ronald Kulczyk, David McLean and Mary Strand will be in the race. After primaries in June, it will only be left up to two candidates on the final ballot.

Another race in the county will whittle down to two candidates after the primary. Dan Carr, Russell Dahl and Paul Tweten are up for the county commissioner seat in district one. The only other contested race is for the county sheriff and coroner position where Glen Meier and Joe Horn will battle for the position a second time.

Uncontested positions on the ballot are Nyquist for the county clerk and recorder, Nickolas Murnion as the county attorney, LeRoy Kountz as the public administrator and Brenda Anderson for the county treasurer.

The ballot will also have seven different issues for voters to decide. County commissioners are asking for an additional 10 mills, which adds to about $222,740, in the next 10 fiscal years for the road fund. The mills would start in the next upcoming fiscal year and go until the 2023-24 fiscal year.

All county voters will have a chance to vote on an additional 2 mills for the Glasgow City-County Library. The 2 mills raised would add up to just over $51,000 and would not begin until the 2015-16 fiscal year, running until the 2019-20. This would be a continuation of the 1 mill currently being raised for the library, with an additional mill. The total impact would be around $4.94 on a home with the value of $100,000. Library Director Emily Wilson added that the funds raised would still not help cover the full budget shortfall of $67,800, as the library is funded for only about 75 percent of its budget.

All county voters would also select on the ballot if they are interested in a review of government for the county. Voters would vote for the establishment of a commission to examine the government of the county and submit recommendations to the government. This same ballot issue will be up for those in Glasgow, Nashua, Opheim and Fort Peck.

If you’re wondering what might be up for the state ballot issues, there’s a wide range of initiatives up for the Nov. 4 general election. The purchase and production of marijuana is up for decision, as well as the requirement for identification of political advertisements with the origin of financial support. Prohibiting trapping of certain animals by private individuals on any public lands within the state of Montana, prohibiting warrantless searches of digital communication, and several issues for healthcare will be up for the ballot.

For more on state candidates and ballot issues, see next week’s Courier.