Three mayoral seats up for grabs in November

A flurry of last-minute candidate filings at the Lake County Election Office means there will be contested mayoral races in Polson, Ronan and St. Ignatius during this November’s general election.

In Polson, Eric Huffine and Rachel Wanderscheid will vie for the position of mayor. Current Mayor Paul Briney did not file for re-election, nor did Ward 1 Commissioner Lou Marchello, whose term also expires Dec. 31. Jen Ruggless and Jake Holley both filed for the Ward 1 vacancy.

David Coffman and Laura Dever will vie for a vacant Ward 2 seat previously held by Patricia Corrigan-Ekness, who resigned from the Commission last month. Commissioners are in the process of appointing a replacement for Corrigan-Ekness to serve out the final months of the term.

Ward 3 Commissioner Brodie Moll filed for re-election and will run unopposed.

Ronan Mayor Kim Aipperspach has filed for re-election. He faces challenges from Bob Sager and Ward 2 Councilman Chris Adler, whose current term runs through 2021.

On the Council, Ward 1 incumbent Marilynn Tanner will face a challenge from Ryan Corum, and Ward 3 incumbent Marlene Melton will run unopposed.

Current Ronan City Judge Randy Melton did not file for re-election. Allysen A. Jones and Zachariah Miller will vie for that position.

St. Ignatius Mayor Steve McCollum has declared his intention to keep his position but will face a challenge from councilor Daren Incashola.

All four at-large City Council positions in St. Ignatius will expire in January, though only current councilors Chris Heffern and Daniel Thompson have filed for those vacancies.

No race on any of the municipal ballots this year received enough candidates to force a primary election. The 2021 general election will take place on Tuesday, Nov. 2.

For more information, visit the Lake County Election Office at www.lakemt.gov/election/election.html.