BILLINGS - Yellowstone County commissioners have heard from the three candidates to fill a position left open after Commissioner John Ostlund died in a plane crash last month.
While it’s not an election, the two current commissioners are expected to also hear from the public before making a decision.
See candidates for commissioner here:
Commissioners Mark Morse and Mike Waters, both Republicans, interviewed the three candidates on Tuesday.
Listen to interview with commissioner candidate Kirk Bushman here:
Listen to interview with commissioner candidate Charlie Loveridge here:
Listen to commissioner candidate Chris White here:
“I’m very conservative,” said candidate Chris White, an Albertsons store director. “I look at everything on our budget lines.”’
“You have to be involved in your local government,” said candidate Kirk Bushman, a former Montana Public Service commissioner.
“There's a certain calling inside my belly that says you should give back,” said candidate Charlie Loveridge, a Billings businessman.
Bushman is an engineering consultant and served on the Montana Public Service Commission from 2013 to 2017.
Loveridge is a business owner and served for nine years as the president of the MetraPark Advisory Board.
White is a store director for Albertsons and serves on several boards, including the Yellowstone Valley Electric Cooperative.
The Yellowstone County Detention Facility has been a concern for residents, and dealing with creating an additional 500 beds could cost more than $200 million.
“My guess is the county commissioners are going be tasked with something in the next years,” said Loveridge. “And it's probably some of the most important years that we have in this county coming up and that is going to be looking at jail expansion.”
“That's a lot of money, and so I don't think the voters really have an appetite to vote a mill levy in of that size,” said Bushman. “So if it's needed and warranted, that's got to be communicated to the voters.”
White said he was not available for an interview with MTN News, but he did address the jail issue with the commissioners.
“The jail and the 72-hour holding facility is going to be a fantastic facility,” White said.
Commissioners also have a big responsibility overseeing MetraPark.
“I really don't have any problems with making investments in MetraPark,” Bushman said. “But they do have to be prudent with the idea that they have a return that would benefit the people of the county.”
“What a great place for Billings,” Loveridge said about the Metra. “The economic impact is tremendous for the county.”
MetraPark did not come up at the interviews, but White talked about budgets.
“So as far as budgeting, that's something that I live and die by, numbers every day of the week,” White said.
The chosen candidate will serve for about a year-and-a-half and will need to run for re-election in 2026.
“If everything works out well, I'd be happy to run for re-election,” Bushman said.
“I'm set up to run that campaign next year,” Loveridge said.
And White addressed re-election last week when the Yellowstone County Republican Central Committee picked the candidates to recommend to the commissioners.
“When it comes time for re-election, I'm in the face of the public every day, I see people all the time,” White said.
“Next Tuesday, I envision that we will be taking a vote on filling this position,” Morse said.
“You're three good men who are good candidates, and you're going to make our decision difficult, which is probably a good thing,” Waters said.
The process took a little more than an hour to interview the three candidates on Tuesday.
Morse and Waters will announce their pick next week at the Tuesday meeting.
Related: A seat to fill: Yellowstone County moves forward to fill seat of Commissioner John Ostlund
