Town of Plains mayor sworn in

The Town of Plains has a new mayor as of Friday - Joel Banham - and he's anxious to get to work.

One of Chris Allen's final acts as mayor was to swear in Banham at City Hall on Friday morning. Banham's first official role as mayor will be to head the town council meeting on Monday, Jan 8.

More than a dozen people showed up at City Hall to witness Banham's swearing in, including council members John Sheridan and John Roesler, along with Judge Tom Collins and clerks Cathy Emmett and Jonalie Comeau.

The swearing in took less than two minutes, but Allen will continue to be mayor until Jan. 1. "I'm swearing him in so he'll be ready to hit the ground running on Monday," said Allen, who took over as interim mayor last January after then Mayor Dan Rowan became a Sanders County commissioner. Rowan was also at the swearing in. Allen had also served as a councilman for 16 years.

"I am anxious to get started," said Banham, who plans to get more familiar with the town employees, including ride-alongs with the public works staff. "I also hope to get some time with the town engineer to look at funding options and a timeline of future projects, such as the new well and a new water tank," said Banham, who had been a council member of Ward 2 for more than seven years. Allen has been going over town books and other things with Banham over the past few weeks.

Banham posed for photos with Allen and Rowan for Debbie Banham, Joel's wife. Plains Alliance Church Pastor Randy Neilson led a prayer for Banham and the town following the swearing in.

Banham ran unopposed in last year's election, which automatically put him in the position. Although he was pleased to be selected as mayor, he had hoped that someone else would have filed for the position to give residents a choice between two candidates. Councilman Chad Cantrell also ran unopposed for his position. Allen, as well as other council members, encouraged Banham to file for the job. The town will now have to fill the Ward 2 position Banham leaves. Allen said four community members have put their names in the hat for Banham's slot. The town council will select one of them at the January meeting. There is also a council opening in Ward 2 to fill the position left open by Garrett Boon, who chose not to seek re-election.

"I love this town. It's a way to serve and make a difference," said Banham, who has lived in Plains for 36 years and has been an active member of the community, including as an EMT with the Plains Ambulance Service, a member of the Plains Paradise Rural Fire District, and a member of the Town of Plains Volunteer Fire Department. He was also the pastor of the Plains Bible Chapel for 21 years and a chaplain at the Clark Fork Valley Hospital for 35 years.

Banham said the town has been running well and he wants to see it continue to be efficiently operated. One of the things Banham wants to see is to secure a fail-safe plan for opening the pool in 2024. The next council meeting will be Monday, Jan. 8, at 6 p.m. at City Hall.