Garrahan selected as new candidate for Hill County public administrator

The Hill County Democratic Central Committee has selected a new candidate for Hill County Public Administrator.

Monica Garrahan declined to comment untill the election.

Maggie Big Leggins beat David Brewer in the Democratic primary, but withdrew her candidacy.

Big Leggins said she has no comment on why she withdrew her name.

Garrahan has no opposition in the general election.

The public administrators in Montana handle estate issues for their counties.

According to Montana Code Annotated 72-15-102, a public administrator takes charge of an estate when: 

“A public administrator who is duly elected, commissioned and qualified shall take charge of estates of persons dying within the administrator’s county as follows:

“(a) estates of decedents for which no administrators are appointed and that, in consequence of the lack of administration, are being wasted, uncared for or lost;

“(b) estates of decedents who have no known heirs;

“(c) estates ordered into the administrator’s hands by the court and

“(d) estates upon which letters of administration have been issued to the administrator by the court.

“It is unlawful for a public administrator of any county of the state of Montana to file a petition for the issuance to the public administrator as public administrator of letters of administration of the estate of any decedent until at least 30 days have elapsed from the day of the death of the decedent unless it is affirmatively shown and made to appear in and by the petition for letters of administration that there are no known heirs of the decedent or that all of the known heirs of the decedent reside outside of the state of Montana and that the estate of the decedent consists of property of a nature that it will be lost, wasted or depreciated in value unless cared for and administered upon at once,” Montana Code says.