GOP to interview county treasurer candidate Wednesday

The Hill County Republican Central Committee has scheduled a meeting Wednesday to look at finding a new party candidate for the Hill County treasurer and assessor position up for election in November.

William "Bill" Gupton, who was the sole Republican candidate in the election, withdrew his candidacy after taking a job with the company that will administer the new power plant NorthWestern Energy is building near Anaconda.

Hill County Republican Chair Andrew Brekke said this morning that the committee will interview Deputy Hill County Treasurer Wanda Larson at 6 p.m. in the meeting room upstairs in the US Bank building on the 200 Block of 1st Street.

Sandy Brown, a clerk in the treasurer's office, defeated incumbent Carrie Dickson in June's Democratic primary.

She would face Larson, or w h o m e v e r R e p u b l i c a n s c h o o s e a s Gupton's successor, in the Nov. 2 election.

The county Republican committee has until Aug. 18 to nominate a successor for Gupton. If no one is nominated, Brown would be the only candidate on the ballot and would take the office in January.

Brekke said the committee will hold its monthly meeting at 6:30 p.m. following the interview and could take a vote on the issue at that time, or could set another meeting in which to hold the vote.

Larson, running under the name Wanda Mork, also ran for the position as a Republican in 2002.