5 seek Ward 1 council seat

Five people are seeking the Havre City Council seat being vacated by Bonnie Parenteau.

Former councilwoman Pam Hillery is one of the five seeking the Ward 1 seat.

Appointment of Parenteau’s replacement is on the agenda of tonight’s meeting, but Mayor Tim Solomon said he didn’t know if the council would take action.

Instead, he said, they might schedule interviews with each of the candidates before making an appointment.

The person appointed will serve through 2015. If the appointee wishes to stay in office, they will have to stand for election in November 2015.

The five are:

• Vernon Brown Sr.

• Pam Hillery

• Will Rawn

• Tricia Williams Ferry

• Rickie Magnussen

Solomon said he was surprised by the number of applicants for the seat.

"It was a nice surprise," the mayor said. "It's good to know that so many people were willing to step forward," he said.

At the last council meeting, councilmen jokingly contemplated what they would do if there were several candidates.

The last time there was a vacancy, when Rick Dow resigned his Ward seat 3, two people stepped forward.

But prior to that, there was usually just one candidate.