Cascade County names new election administrator

Commissioners in Cascade County Thursday named Terry Thompson as the county’s new election administrator, settling a key question raised after the commission relieved Clerk and Recorder Sandra Merchant of her electoral duties in December.

Thompson, former CEO of the Great Falls Association of Realtors, was one of four applicants interviewed last week by the county’s three Republican commissioners, Joe Briggs, Rae Grulkowski and Joe Briggs. After rating each of the candidates based on their responses and qualifications, the commission briefly debated between two: Thompson and former 16-year Democratic Clerk and Recorder Rina Moore, who lost the 2022 election to Merchant.

Prior to the motion to appoint Thompson as the county’s new election overseer — at a county salary of $69,000 — Briggs took a moment to acknowledge the challenge he and other commissioners faced in narrowing their choice.

“We had four quality candidates, and I’m very gratified for that,” Briggs said. “That makes the decision a little tougher.”

Larson and Grulkowski echoed Briggs’ assessment, with Grulkowski expressing appreciation for the community’s patience and voicing her desire to “have things calm down” ahead of a busy election year.

Over the past year, election administration has become an increasingly divisive issue among voters in Cascade County. Merchant’s tenure through 2023 generated widespread criticism and allegations of ballot-related mishaps and mishandled elections. Merchant and her supporters staunchly refuted those claims and accused Briggs and Larson of undermining the will of voters in stripping her of the duties they elected her to perform. Grulkowski, a constant defender of Merchant’s, has continued to lament the resolution that transferred those duties to a commission-appointed administrator — a resolution she voted against.

The community back-and-forth continued to manifest Thursday as public commenters weighed in on Thompson’s appointment. Jane Weber, a 2024 Democratic legislative candidate and member of the citizen-led Election Protection Committee, said she was concerned about Thompson’s lack of experience running local elections, particularly given the tight timeline of this year’s electoral calendar. School elections in Cascade County are slated for early May, and military ballots for the June 4 primary must be mailed starting April 17.

“If there was an experienced staff in the election office, I’d be less concerned,” Weber said. “But there is not experienced staff in the election office, as was exhibited in past elections in 2023. Selecting someone with absolutely no experience in elections really concerns me.”

Great Falls resident Deb Chibroski challenged Weber’s assertions regarding experience in the Cascade County Elections Office, arguing that Merchant’s staff had been “holding the fort down during this unfortunate series of events” and were “immediately put under trial by fire” when she took office last year. Chibroski told commissioners she had “full confidence” that if elections staff are left to do their jobs, “the elections will go off without a hitch.”

Other commenters similarly praised the commission’s selection, describing Thompson, who has held several civic offices, as the most nonpartisan candidate in the running and echoing hopes that the county’s election administration disputes will finally end.

Voters and county officials alike have been candid about the stakes involved in Cascade County’s election administration debate. Cascade is a well-known swing county in statewide elections and has shifted politically to the right in recent years, electing no Democratic candidates for legislative seats in either of the past two election cycles. With Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Tester facing a stiff reelection challenge from Republican Tim Sheehy this year, Montana — and Cascade County — are likely to be the focus of national attention. As Briggs has indicated this year, his greatest fear is that any election administration issues could generate problems for the county, including potential litigation.