Town Of Nashua Council Election Canceled

Nashua candidates who filed to fill two open positions on the Town of Nashua’s Council during the 2024 election received a letter at the end of March stating there will no longer be an election for Nashua Town Council seats this election year. Per the letter that was sent by Valley County Election Administrator Marie Pippin, municipal elections are held in odd-numbered years, opposite the primary and general elections which are held in even-numbered years. As a result, the two alderman/woman terms and the mayor’s term will expire at the end of 2025 and the other two terms will expire at the end of 2027.

After further investigation, it was determined Dave Leraas and Ann MacDonald’s terms on the Town of Nashua’s Council expired Dec. 31, 2023, however the Town did not have an election in 2023 for new four-year terms to fill these two council seats and no one filed for these open seats.

“I figured the council appointed the same individuals to fill the seats they held prior to Jan. 1, 2024. Apparently, that wasn’t the case. Although we probably should, my office doesn’t always receive oaths of office from municipalities,” stated Pippin.

Even though no election was held, Leraas and MacDonald have continued serving as alderman/woman in the Council, however have not been recognized by the State of Montana as fulfilling these roles for the Town of Nashua.

During the April 8 regular Town council meeting, the Council voted to pass Resolution No. 535-2024 which declared two seats to be vacant for municipal officers. With the passing of this Resolution, the town officially declares Leraas and MacDonald’s seats as vacant due to no election occurring in 2023, and the seats are now open for appointment. The two existing council members, Darwin Johnson and Mike Meredith, and the Mayor JoAnna Turner, are currently making a quorum and will need to appoint members to fill the two seats that had been held by MacDonald and Leraas.

Qualified individuals need to present letters of interest to the Town Council by Friday, April 19, via email, [email protected].

“In theory, the Town Council will interview the interested individuals and will appoint two individuals to fill those empty positions,” explained Pippin. The Council and the Mayor will hold a special meeting on Monday, April 22, 7 p.m. to appoint officers to these seats and administer the oath of office.

In 2025, which is the next election cycle for municipalities, the two individuals who are appointed during the April 22 meeting, if they wish to retain their seats, will need to file a Declaration of Nomination with the Election Office to fulfill the last two years of the term, which is through Dec. 31, 2027. If the two appointed individuals do not wish to retain their seats, they will not complete the last two years of the term.

Also in 2025, the mayor and the other two town council member positions will come open. Individuals wanting to run for these positions will have to file Declarations for Nomination for four-year terms starting Jan. 1, 2026, and Dec. 31, 2029.

“In 2025, five people can file to run for seats on the Nashua Town Council, one for mayor and four for town council seats. It’s very unusual to have the whole town council on the ballot at one time, but in 2025 that’s how the Town of Nashua will be. But the terms will not all be ending at the same time,” explained Pippin.