Charlie Kulbeck resigns as County Commissioner, effective July 1st
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Blaine County Commissioner Charlie Kulbeck submitted a letter to fellow county commissioners on June 7 resigning from his post as commissioner for District 3. In the letter Kulbeck wrote, "I unfortunately am forced to resign my position as a Blaine County commissioner due to health reasons." Kulbeck said in January, 2018, he would not file to run for a second term this election cycle citing his wife's battle with cancer and his ongoing recovery from a car accident in December, 2016 that left him hospitalized for eight weeks.
Upon receipt of Kulbeck's resignation letter Commission Chairman Frank DePriest sent a letter to the Blaine County Democratic Central Committee asking them to begin the process of presenting a list of possible persons to fill the vacated position. DePriest said by phone, "I told the Central Committee that I hoped a replacement could be sworn and ready to begin work by July 1."
Montana law requires the commissioners to select a replacement to serve the remainder of a vacated term from a list of three provided by the party of the incumbent whose departure created the vacancy. Kulbeck, a Democrat, was first appointed to fill an unexpired term, then ran and was elected to a six year term that runs through the end of 2018.
The Blaine County Democratic Central Committee will hold a public meeting to select a list of three people to present to the commissioners. The two commissioners will select a person to complete the term of Commissioner Kulbeck. If the commissioners cannot agree on a candidate from the first list of three, a second list can be accessed. An appointee must come from one of those six names. The permanent replacement for the position will be decided in the November general election from the two candidates who qualified in the June 5 primary.
Persons with an interest in serving the unexpired term should attend the meeting set for Monday, June 18. The meeting will be held at the Harlem Senior Center and begin at 7 pm. An appointee to fill the unexpired term must be from County Commission District 3. That district is made up of the area north of Highway 2 from Hill to Phillips County with a small portion of Fort Belknap Reservation.
The following precincts make up County Commission District 3: Harlem precinct #8; Harlem Precinct #9; North Chinook precinct #13 and Turner precinct #1. The meeting notice reads: "Any resident of District 3, 18 or older, interested in having his or her name submitted to the Commissioners for this 6 month appointment should appear at the meeting and submit their name for consideration."
Commissioner Dolores Plumage said she felt there were some unclear issues about the process. She plans to consult the Blaine County Attorney to make sure all aspects of the selection process are clearly understood.
