(HELENA) The first candidates have officially filed to run for Helena and East Helena city officers in November’s municipal elections, after the candidate filing period opened on Thursday.
In November, voters will select two Helena city commissioners, Helena’s municipal court judge and two members of the East Helena City Council.
The Helena City Commission seats held by Commissioners Ed Noonan and Kali Wicks are up for election this year. Wicks has already filed to run for a full four-year term. She was appointed to the commission last year, after former commissioner Rob Farris-Olsen was elected to the Montana Legislature.
As of Friday afternoon, Noonan had not yet filed with the county elections office, but he told MTN earlier this month that he is planning to run again.
All candidates for the Helena City Commission will run on the same ballot, and voters will be able to choose two.
Helena City Judge Anne Peterson is also running for her first full four-year term. She was appointed municipal court judge earlier this year, to replace the retiring Judge Bob Wood.
In East Helena, city council members are elected by ward. In Ward 1, south of Riggs Street, the position held by Councilmember Kit Johnson is up for election this year. No candidates have filed yet.
In Ward 2, north of Riggs, Councilmember Mike Misowic’s seat is up for election. The first candidate to file was Kelly Harris, who ran for City Council in 2017. He and incumbent Councilmember Don Dahl each received 165 votes, so the other members of the council had to pick a winner. They chose Dahl, but encouraged Harris to remain involved in city affairs.
People have until 5 p.m. on June 17 to file in city elections. You can find more information on the requirements and filing process at the county elections website.
The general election will be held Nov. 5. If there are enough candidates to require a primary, it will be held Sept. 10.
-Reported by Jonathon Ambarian/MTN News
