By Matt B. Walen
Havre voters Tuesday will have only one contested race in the primary election to decide who will sit on the Havre City Council.
The only contested race in Tuesdays election pits Shane Ford against Ron Wolford in the Republican contest. The winner of the primary election will move on to the general election to face Democrat incumbent Emily Mayer-Lossing.
Republican candidates who are unopposed in Tuesdays election include John McLain Sr. in Ward I, Gary Schubert in Ward II, and Kevin Allison in Ward III.
Democrat candidates unopposed include Doug Larson in Ward I, Vicki Clouse in Ward II, Jack Brandon in Ward III, and Mayer-Lossing in Ward IV.
The winners in each race advance to the general election held in November.
The polls open at 7 a.m. and close at 8 p.m.
Ford, a new father and operator of a daycare center in Havre, said he believes the council needs some young people to help with the decision-making process.
I feel I can make a difference on the city council, he said. I have no real personal agenda. Its a team deal, and I do believe in making Havre a better place to live.
Ford, 28, who also owns and operates a paintball field south of Havre, said Havre needs to continue to build its tax base and encourage people to stay in the community instead of moving away.
Ford said he has been out campaigning and the people tell him to think about the issues facing the council when he is elected.
Im for the youth and kids in Havre, the lifelong Havre resident said. And the political officials in Havre need to be out there more ... I think the term is visible.
Wolford, a retired military man from the U.S. Air Force, has been a Havre resident since 1992, is a businessman who owns 23 rental properties in the area and an active leader in the Havre Landlords Association.
City government can be improved by running it as a business, Wolford said. I would be a little more prudent in spending the taxpayers money.
Wolford said he decided it was time to run for the city council because change is needed.
Basically, Im working for positive change in our city, he said.
Wolford, who started a home repair business company earlier this year, drove school bus for the Havre school district on a full-time basis from September 1994 to September 1997. He said he continues to drive as a relief driver.
