LaBrie & Zanto each seek Clerk, Recorder, Surveyor, and Auditor spot for County

On Tuesday, June 5, the primary election will be held in Montana. In Phillips County, there are two Republican candidates running for the Phillips County Commissioner Clerk & Recorder, Surveyor/Auditor which is currently held by Marian Ereaux who is retiring from the position. The candidates in the Republican Clerk & Recorder race are Lynnel LaBrie and Connie Kolczak-Zanto.

What follows are the same four questions posed to each candidate, answered in their own words, edited only for typos and style, and listed alphabetically by last name. There are no Democratic candidates on the primary ballot.

NAME: Lynnel LaBrie

Tell us about yourself.

I was raised in Phillips County. I am the oldest daughter of Kevin Shettel and

Ann Shettel. I graduated from Malta High School in 2003 and attended Montana State University Billings – College of Technology to pursue an Accounting Technology degree. My husband, Ryan LaBrie, and I decided to move back to our hometown to be close to family after living in Sidney, Montana for my husband's position with the Montana Army National Guard. We knew we wanted to raise our children in the community we were so blessed to grow up in. Our four children, Kaden, Karlie, Kenzie, and Kallie, keep us on our toes; between school and extracurricular activities, they are always on the go and I am proud to be their mom. I am an owner of S&L Hauling and Construction LLC, a family-owned trucking company. I have been a 4-H leader for the last four years and the secretary of 4-H Council for the last three years. As your Clerk & Recorder, I will be dependable, courteous and I will run the office with the utmost integrity.

What is your motivation for running for office?

When Marian Ereaux, our current Clerk & Recorder, announced she would retire and not seek reelection, I was excited about the opportunity to run for her position. I enjoy working with the citizens of Phillips County, whether it is searching for land records or issuing them a birth certificate. Our office is responsible for many different financial facets of the County, from payroll and claims to compile the budget, and I enjoy working on each one. As Clerk & Recorder, I would also be the County Election Administrator. The integrity of our election process is very important to me. There are always new laws and ways to help ensure that every election runs efficiently and each person is allowed to exercise their right to vote. With the everchanging requirements of our office, we are always working on something new. I am up for those challenges. I will continue to provide a friendly and professional office environment for the residents of Phillips County.

What issues concern you in the position you are running for?

Since working in the Clerk & Recorder's office for two years, I don't necessarily have concerns. I do intend to run this office accurately and efficiently. Montana's laws change with each legislative session,; my responsibility to the tax payers of Phillips County will be to make sure our office continues to comply with these laws. As your Clerk and Recorder, my staff and I are there to serve you. We will greet you with a smile and help you to the best of our ability. As an elected official, I will always have an open-door policy to listen to any concerns the public may have.

What skills or attributes make you a good candidate for the position?

For two years now, I have worked as a Recording Clerk in the Clerk & Recorder's office. In the beginning, my job consisted of assisting the public, recording documents, voter registration, and data entry. Since then I have cross trained into payroll, claims and compiling the County budget. I have worked with Marian to set up elections, train election officials and ensure that each election runs smoothly.

In 2005, I went to work at 1st Bank in Sidney, Montana, as a secretary, and I was soon promoted to Loan Processor. I was then offered a position at a cattle trading company and chose to take that position, as I grew up around cattle and enjoy the ranching industry. In that position, I was in charge of the income and expenses for thousands of inventory cattle. After moving back to Malta in 2009, I continued to work online for the cattle trading company until I began working at the Clerk & Recorder's office. I believe that the knowledge I have gained in each of these positions will help me excel as your Clerk & Recorder/Auditor/Surveyor.

I am a hard worker and will not back down from new challenges. I am reliable and will be there to answer any question you may have. I am dedicated to learning everything I can so that I may better serve the citizens of Phillips County. I am responsible and know that accurate and timely financial reports and land documents are what taxpayers are expecting. I am determined to serve the people of Phillips County to the best of my ability. I would appreciate your vote on June 5, 2018.

NAME: Connie Kolczak-Zanto

Tell us about yourself.

Hi, My name is Connie Kolczak-Zanto. I'm running for the position of Clerk and Recorder/Surveyor/Auditor. I grew up in the Little Rockies town of Landusky and attended schools in Landusky and Malta. I'm a lifelong resident of Phillips County. I have three grown children. I enjoy working in my yard and watching the flowers grow. I enjoy times at the Little Rockies with my family. I have been working for the Dodson and Harlem Schools as a substitute teacher. I believe in saying "please" and "thank you", standing for the Pledge of Allegiance and treating the elderly with respect. I believe in treating people the way I want to be treated. I pride myself on being honest and loyal.

What is your motivation for running for office?

Since I grew up in Phillips County, I am very familiar with the past and the current affairs that affect this area. I believe I have the skills, determination, and motivation to run the office in a professional, personal and efficient matter. I love helping people and working for the public.

What issues concern you in the position you are running for?

Well, after going door to door campaigning. Some of the concerns presented to me were that all the polling places were shut down, leaving Malta as the only polling place in the County. If elected I will do some research on the closure of the polling places. Also, If elected to this position I will see to it that the recorded documents and mapping are entered into the computers in a timely manner. Also, make sure the computers in the vault area are in proper working condition.

What skills or attributes make you a good candidate for the position?

I worked in the Phillips County Clerk and Recorder's Office for almost five years. I have a good idea how things are run and what it takes to do the job efficiently, professionally and in a timely accurate manner. I have over 30 years of office skills! I started out when everything was done by hand and continued the move through all these transitions up until the computer age. I have been a receptionist, bookkeeper, recording clerk, payroll clerk from 14 to 80 employees, inventory, budgeting, accounts payable, accounts receivable, supervision of employees, registration of voters, birth and death certificates, election procedures, 9-1-1 address list, research of land and water ownership. I'm a self-starter, friendly, organized, honest, patient, trustworthy and will give 110% to doing the best job possible for the residents of Phillips County.