Council ballots ready

Voters in Hot Springs and Thompson Falls will choose city council representatives this fall. The municipal general election is set for November 7.

Sanders County Election Administrator McKenna Wallace said that ballots will be mailed October 18. The elections in Thompson Falls and Hot Springs will be held by mail. Ballots can be delivered to the Elections Office on Main Street in Thompson Falls across from the courthouse, or mailed. Ballots must be received by 8 p.m. on Election Day in order to be counted.

In Thompson Falls, three council positions are up for election. In Ward 1, Catherine DeWitt is challenging incumbent Raoul Ribeiro for a seat on the council. Katherina Maudrone, who serves in Ward 2, is up for re-election but running unopposed. In Ward 3, Hayley Allen-Blakney is running for re-election, with Gunner Junge also running as a candidate for that position.

Hot Springs has two at-large positions on the town council up for election. Three candidates have filed, and voters will vote for two of the three on their ballots. Candidates include Crystal Graham, Ed Weatherly and Susan “Tootie” Welker.

Plains did not have any contested municipal races this year, so candidates will be voted in by acclamation. Connie Foust, John Sheridan and John Roesler all completed their filing and were the only candidates to file in their respective positions. Chad Cantrell was the only candidate interested in his Ward 3 seat, but he did not complete the filing process and will have to be appointed by the council to retain his position.

While two people initially filed for the two-year term as mayor of Plains, Joel Banham was the only candidate to finish the filing process and will be elected by acclamation on November 7.

Voters can verify their address and information and track their ballots on the state’s My Voter Page at sosmt.gov/elections.

This week’s Ledger features profiles of each of the candidates in Hot Springs and Thompson Falls. The profiles are on Page 7.