Council outlines process to appoint interim District 10 commissioner; public input limited to standard comment period

At the Jan. 7 meeting the Butte-Silver Bow Council of Commissioners discussed the process to appoint an interim replacement for Commissioner Bill Anderson (District 10), with Commissioner John Morgan asking the council to concur and hold the matter in Committee of the Whole so applicants could be reviewed and interviews scheduled on Jan. 21, 2026.

Morgan said the interim seat would be published for two weeks and that the HR department would compile the list of candidates; commissioners would interview each applicant using the same questions. "Each candidate has to be asked the exact same question," Morgan said, explaining that HR would vet any public-submitted questions to ensure they were appropriate for the forum.

Commissioner Mankins asked whether a constituent's question could be submitted and posed to all candidates; Morgan replied that questions must be HR-vetted and within the realm of allowable interview questions. Commissioner Shea encouraged broader public notice, suggesting a pop-up on the county homepage and social-media posts to circulate the applicant list once HR compiles it. Commissioner Fisher cautioned against allowing the public to turn the appointment into a popularity contest, saying the role of the council is to select the most qualified candidate.

The council voted 10-0 to concur and hold the communication in Committee of the Whole. Gallagher and Morgan clarified that the application period closes at noon on Jan. 21, 2026, after which HR will circulate applicants to commissioners for interview scheduling.

Next steps: HR will publish the application notice, collect applications through the stated deadline, provide a candidate list to commissioners and the Committee of the Whole will convene to conduct interviews with standardized questions.