Remember When

40 years ago – January 7, 1982

Commissioner race to top election battles

With the start of the new year, the heat is turning up under the political pot in Sanders County for the 1982 elections, which will include most county offices.

Traditionally, the offices of sheriff and county commissioner have attracted the largest crowd of candidates and the commissioner’s race this year likely will not be an exception.

Monday morning, County Assessor Pat Eldridge became the first official candidate as she filed her nominating petition with Clerk and Recorder Dixie Vaught. Eldridge is a democrat.

News Analysis

Sheriff Harvey Shultz has stated he does not plan to seek re-election and instead will retire after serving many years in law enforcement work in Sanders County. Undersheriff Dale Balison said he does not plan to run and that leaves former Undersheriff Jack Wakefield as the major announced candidate for the position. Wakefield is expected to file for the office soon and make official the campaign he has been conducting for the past three years.

Wakefield currently serves as a security office for W-I Forest Products and as a relief town marshall for Hot Springs. He is well known throughout the county as a law enforcement officer.

Also mentioned as a possible candidate for sheriff is Plains Chief of Police Clint Spindler and Dick Eitelberg, who was an unsuccessful candidate four years ago.

The other major county race-for-commissioner-is expected to see incumbent Norman Resler file for re-election, although he has not publicly announced his intention. Former County Commissioner Wesley W. Stearns, who was defeated in 1976 by Resler, is being encouraged by friends to file, but to date has made no announcement.

Stearns is a republican. Resler is the only democrat on the County Board of Commissioners.

One avowed democratic candidate is young Sam Silverthorn of Plains, a former official of the Operating Engineers Union.

Also mentioned as possible candidates for commissioner are county Civil Defense director Lyle Hill and Earl West.

Most other county elected officials are expected to seek re-election. Clerk and Recorder Dixie Vaught, County Treasurer June Thayer, County Attorney Claude Burlingame, and Justice of the Peace Bob Beitz have all indicated they will seek re-election.

County Superintendent of Schools Arnold Scott, County Surveyor Larry McCarthy and Public Administrator Dee Franke also are expected to file for re-election.

A question mark could be Coroner Dr. C. E. Rosdahl, who has exhibited a reluctance to seek the office in the past and now that he is retired, may definitely not run.

On the Montana Legislative scene, State Representative Chris Stobie is expected to seek re-election, but he could find opposition in the person of Dewey Speck of Hot Springs. Speck was one of the leaders of the unsuccessful effort to recall former Mayor Vergil Mallory, and has been outspoken in his opposition to consolidation of the justice of the peace positions. Stobie also opposed the consolidation.

State Senator George McCallum gets to sit this election out – an unusual position for him in view of the district revisions and drawings for two and four-year terms that have forced him back to the hustings in the past.

Both the democratic and republican party organizations are expected to make strong efforts to field candidates in all races. They won’t want the opposing party to take any seat uncontested.

Friends have been encouraging Stearns to enter the race for some time, but he has remained reluctant. It is known that his wife, Ruth, is not enthusiastic about him re-entering the political arena. It is believed he would seek her endorsement before he makes a formal announcement and friends felt “she is softening” in her position.

Monday, January 4 was the first day a candidate could file for any office in the 1982 election year. The filing deadline is April 19. Even those candidates who intend to run as an independent candidate without party designation must file by the April 19 deadline.

The emphasis in this year’s election will be on the county level and three members of Montana’s Congressional delegation to be elected on the state level. Senator John Melcher and Western District Congressman Pat Williams are both expected to seek re-election.

Also to be elected are justices for the Montana Supreme Court, a district judge and clerk of the Supreme Court.

Clerk of County Carol Thomas is the only Courthouse elected official whose term does not expire this year and thus can sit out the election with Senator McCallum.