HELENA — The general election is almost here, and in Lewis and Clark County, three candidates are vying for the open County Commission seat in District 2: one incumbent and two familiar faces from county departments.
The commission race is nonpartisan.
Learn more about each candidate below:
First is Brent Colbert, the county’s undersheriff. He’s spent 31 years with the Lewis and Clark County Sheriff’s Office and says he can bring that experience to the commission.
“It is time to move on a little bit, but I feel that I can still contribute and be a good partner to everybody in Lewis and Clark County by taking my leadership experience and just putting it in a different area,” Colbert said.
Colbert says his priorities are infrastructure and being prepared for disasters and emergencies. He also says public lands and the passenger rail are important topics in our community.
Next is Jakob Miles, who is also familiar with county operations. Miles currently works at Lewis and Clark County Public Health as the opioid overdose prevention and safer communities Montana coordinator. He also served in the Army National Guard for a decade.
“I also speak for a lot of folks that don’t have a lot of representation when it comes to politics,” Miles said. “As a millennial, someone in their thirties, I am still a renter. I would bring a very different perspective to the county commission than what we currently have.”
Miles says his focus areas include affordable housing and a strong investment in public lands, health, and safety.
The third candidate is incumbent commissioner Tom Rolfe, who was first elected in 2020. Before joining the commission, Rolfe served in the Montana House, led the Montana Automobile Dealers Association, and served in the U.S. Army.
“That is really the main reason I want to stay around for another term is to make sure that this cash purchase, no extra taxes version of the budgeting can be fully implemented in the whole county,” Rolfe said.
Rolfe also says he wants to prioritize addiction and mental health services, while also preparing for a growing county.
Although the race is for District 2, all registered voters within Lewis and Clark County can vote in this race. Ballots go out Friday, Oct. 9, and election day is Tuesday, Nov. 3.
(Candidates are ordered in the story alphabetically by their last names.)
