Glasgow, Nashua Get New Mayors

In Tuesday’s municipal elections, voters in Glasgow and Nashua decided to change the names at the top.

Glasgow Mayor Dan Carney, looking for his third term, lost to Becky Erickson, an 18-year veteran of the Glasgow City Council. The vote was decisive, 724 to 519. Erickson led Carney in all three wards.

In Nashua, Mayor Pat Hallett was defeated 81 to 38 by Allan Bunk, who has been Nashua’s mayor before.

There were contested races in two of Glasgow’s wards. With Neil Chouinard retiring, three new people were fighting for a seat on the City Council from Ward 1. Stan Ozark won with 290 votes. Nanci Schoenfelder got 218 votes and Shawn Andersyn got 22.

Melanie Sorensen’s 126 votes allowed her to keep her seat in Ward 2, beating Curtis Clampitt’s 110 votes and Doug Nistler’s 56.

Dan Carr, running unopposed in Ward 3, got 349 votes.

The incumbents on the Nashua Town Council were re-elected with no competition. Linda Falkenstern (87 votes) will serve a four-year term. Donald “Smokey” Stover (78 votes) will take a two-year term.

A declared write-in candidate, Mughetto Holly, will become the mayor of Opheim with her 15 votes. Ward 2 had a three-way race for alderman, won by Virgil Nelson with 17 votes. Joan Erickson had 10 and Erick Forum got one. Scott St. John, unopposed for re-election in Ward 1, got 13 votes.

The two incumbents on the Fort Peck Town Council were re-elected, while the challenger lost. The tally was Joseph French – 101, Thomas Weber – 85 and Jeffrey Robertson – 47.

In St. Marie, six candidates ran in the North Valley County Water & Sewer District’s election to choose three directors for four-year terms. The winners were Owen Childers – 77, Henry Endler – 69 and Marilyn Widhalm – 67. The other candidates were Leith DeWeese – 63, Cindi Laffin – 33 and Anthony Hebert – 30.

Voter turnout was good for this off-year local election, according to the figures worked out by Valley County’s election supervisor, Clerk and Recorder Lynne Nyquist. Fort Peck tied for leader of the turnout with participation by 83 percent of the registered voters. Opheim’s Ward 2 equaled that figure. Ward 1 in Opheim was less excited about the unopposed race, only showing 54 percent.

In Glasgow, Ward 1 was 75 percent, Ward 2 was 64 percent and Ward 3 was 70 percent. Nashua was in the same league, with 73 percent turnout.

The water district race only interested 54 percent of the voters at St. Marie.