Missoula County candidates file for 2010 election Play Video
Posted: Jan 14, 2010 4:31 PM
Updated: May 11, 2010 12:31 PM
Filing day in Missoula brought a name to nearly every position so far, but interested parties will have until March 15 to file.
Several incumbents are seeking office again in Missoula County, but we're sure to have a new sheriff as Mike McMeekin will not run.
On Tuesday two people signed up to take on the task. They are Bradley Giffin, a lieutenant at the Sheriff's office who is assistant patrol commander, and Nicholas Lisi, a retired sergeant who spent almost 25 years at the Los Angeles Police Department and seven years as a patrolman at Corning in upstate New York.
Missoula County Attorney Fred Van Valkenburg will seek another term as will Missoula County Commissioner Bill Carey.
There are familiar names in both districts for Justice of the Peace as John Odlin and Karen Orzech both seek reelection.
Clerk and Recorder/Treasurer Vickie Zeier filed today to keep her current position, and so farm no one has signed up to be the next superintendent of schools.
Meanwhile, former Missoula County Chief Deputy Attorney, Karen Townsend, filed Tuesday to run for District Court Judge.
Meanwhile, people lined up on Thursday morning at the Montana Secretary of State's office in Helena to file applications for public office.
Secretary of State Linda McCulloch says running for public office is a fundamental right, and she says her office is working to ensure candidate filing goes smoothly. She noted, "One of the most important things we do as citizens of Montana, of the United States, is to vote and there's many things you can do. You can be a candidate, but you can also volunteer for candidates or for issues that folks are interested in, and of course voting is the basis for all that."
Citizens wanting to file have several options: they can show up at the Secretary of State's office, mail in the forms, and even file online. But even with the convenience of filing online, some candidates still enjoy the excitement of filing in person.
Mary Caferro, running for Senate District 40, said, "I love this day, I love filing for office. And I think its really amazing that someone like me, a real common person, a single mother with four kids struggling to make ends meet can actually file for office, run for office, and hold office."
Don Judge, running for House District 80, stated, "I've been encouraging people to run for office for over 35 years and supporting them, (but) this is the first time I've stepped up to do it and it was pretty easy to do."
Democratic candidate Dennis McDonald filed to become Montana's U.S. Representative, and said of the filing process, "It was smooth, and for me a humbling experience."
Candidates can file for State Legislature, Supreme Court Justice, District Court Judge, Public Service Commissioner and US Representative. By the end of the day, more than 100 people had already filed with the Secretary of State's office.
The deadline to file is March 15th at 5:00 p.m. For more information, visit the Secretary of State's website.
