Council Fills 2 Vacancies

The two Three Forks City Council seats that will become vacant at the end of 2023 have been filled.

The governing body voted last week to appoint current Councilmember Roxi McDermott and resident Garret Buchanan to fill the vacancies.

McDermott, Buchanan, and Reagan Hooten had all sent letters of interest for the vacancies that expire at the end of 2025. Before the vote, Councilmember Gene Townsend said the seats were vacant after current member Nancy Todd chose not to seek reelection, and McDermott did not get her paperwork filed before the deadline.

Each of the three candidates was able to give a short presentation to the Council.

Buchanan said he was born and raised in Manhattan and has lived in Three Forks for the past five years.

"I'm patient. I like to listen, and I really want to help the town," he said.

When asked by Townsend about how the City should look at growth, Buchanan said it is inevitable the township will grow, but looking towards the future will lessen those growing pains. Buchanan said he would do his best to support the way of life in Three Forks, and the sense of community should not be lost.

Hooten said she is fairly new to Three Forks but was born and raised in Bozeman and is now back in Montana with an interest in helping out. Hooten addded she thinks Three Forks is a great place and discussed the importance of preserving green spaces. Hooten said she has felt very welcomed in her move back to Montana, and as far as growth, she said it will happen but wants people to feel welcomed when they move to Three Forks.

In her presentation, McDermott said she loves to be involved in the community and feels she has been way more involved during her last six months as a part of the City Council. McDermott said with all the growth in the community, they have a lot to fix, but they can do it.

Councilmember George Chancellor nominated McDermott and said it was because he has worked with her and seen her be very attentive at her job. Townsend said he would be voting for McDermott because he has had the pleasure of working with her for the past six months, and she has shown a lot of interest in wanting to learn. Councilmember Ed Tharp said he would vote for McDermott because she has done a really good job on the Council and would not want to see her leave. Todd said she would vote for McDermott because she has enjoyed getting to know her better and working with her on the Council.

Chancellor also motioned to nominate Buchanan, which passed 5-0. McDermott said Buchanan seems like he is really interested in the community and would like to see what he can do. Tharp said he thinks Buchanan will be a great asset to the Council.

Townsend said this is one of the better slates of candidates he has seen who have expressed an interest in serving on the Council. He added one thing that makes him unhappy is when people don't go through the process of filing for the seats before the election.

Townsend added that he realizes they have to fill a vacancy but said they have three excellent candidates and don't think they could go wrong with whoever they pick.