Stevensville council appoints longtime resident Karen Walker to fill Ward 2 seat after interviews

At a special Stevensville Town Council meeting on Feb. 2, 2026, the council interviewed two applicants for the Ward 2 vacancy and voted to appoint Karen Walker, who was sworn in at the meeting.

Walker, who opened her remarks by saying, “I’m Karen Walker, I was born and raised in Stevensville,” told the council she previously served on the council after stepping in for a resignation and has 37 years of service with the Forest Service. She said she would engage residents directly — “I like to walk. I like to talk to people in town. I like to listen to people and put their ideas on,” she said — and emphasized honesty and adherence to laws and regulations.

The council asked both applicants a standard set of questions in a round-robin format, focusing on priorities such as water and sewer infrastructure, public safety, and resident engagement. When asked how she would address growth-driven water and sewage concerns, Walker said it was “a big issue” that she would approach by learning why residents are upset and making recommendations to the council.

The other applicant, later named in council discussion as Daniel Rabel, described an architectural and teaching background and prior outreach to external agencies about water and energy solutions. He told the council he had pursued USDA contacts for water and waste-treatment and had investigated rooftop solar and utility-subsidy options.

During council deliberations a resident, Sue Devlin of 305 6th Street, urged the council not to appoint the other applicant, saying, “There are a bunch of blank spots that were not filled out,” and argued he had not answered the written application questions. Councilors discussed those concerns and the applicants’ relative familiarity with local issues.

Council member Smith moved to nominate and elect Daniel Rabel; that nomination did not result in appointment. Council member Ross then moved to appoint Walker; the motion was seconded and the presiding official announced the council’s decision to appoint Walker as the Ward 2 representative. The council then administered the oath of office; Walker repeated the oath pledging to support and defend both the U.S. and Montana constitutions and to discharge the duties of a Stevensville council member.

The meeting transcript includes multiple spellings of the appointed member’s surname in the record; at the interview she introduced herself as Karen Walker and she repeated the oath when sworn in. No formal roll-call vote tally for the appointment appears in the transcript; the presiding official announced the appointment on the council floor.