One City Council Seat up for Grabs in 2021 Municipal Election

There will be only two names on the ballot for this year's Municipal General Election on November 2, 2021. The seat for Ward 1, the west side of Malta, will be contested by incumbent David Rummel and challenger Steen McFadden.

Mayor John Demarais and the incumbent for Ward 2, Bonnie Wiederrick, are running uncontested.

The two candidates for Ward 1 were asked the same five questions. Below are their answers.

David Rummel (incumbent)

1. What is your motivation to run for office?

As a fifth-generation resident of Malta/Phillips County, I feel a strong commitment towards Malta and its healthy future. I have three adult sons that live and work in Malta and I would like to ensure they and others have the opportunity to continue to work and prosper in Malta.

2. What are the main issues you see that should be a priority?

One of my top concerns is maintaining our three enterprise funds, which are water, sewer, and garbage. Declining budget revenues and increased competition for state and federal infrastructure money are challenging. Another concern is supporting and growing our local business community. We have established a Parks and Recreation Department and I want to make sure that we continue to budget for its continued success.

3. How do you feel those issues should be taken care of?

We have developed a long-term plan to improve and upgrade recommended infrastructure needs. This engineered plan enables us to apply and qualify for state and federal grants. I want to make sure there is continued support for funding for the Parks and Recreation Departments' budget. This department has fulfilled and served the needs of toddlers, youth, young adults, and seniors with its variety of activities throughout the year. I believe this has been one of the most successful departments that I have helped to develop and implement. I am very proud that I was a member of the committee that successfully implemented plans for the expansion and upgrade of the MOI facility. I want to continue to support the current and future businesses in our community.

4. What are the skills and/or attributes that you feel make you a good candidate?

I have 12 years of experience on the City Council and have attended numerous conferences, training, and seminars to improve my knowledge of government operations. I am President of the Board for the Phillips County Museum. I am also on the Phillips County Transit Board, Great Plains Dinosaur Museum Board of Directors, and the Phillips County Historical Society Board of Directors. I also serve the youth in our community by volunteering as a Montana Hunter Education Instructor. Serving on the City Council and these various boards has given me the knowledge and ability to work within restricted budgets. I can listen and evaluate issues and work with others on making short and long-term plans for the betterment of Malta.

5. If you received a $1 million grant to use for the city any way you wanted, what would you do with it and why?

I would love to be able to put $1 million into upgrading our aging City Pool, mainly for the youth of our community.

Steen McFadden (challenger)

1. What is your motivation to run for office?

I have listened to various community members' concerns and would like to have an opportunity to make some changes for the betterment of our community based on those concerns.

2. What are the main issues you see that should be a priority?

I would like to move towards higher productivity from our city employees, work towards prioritizing daily work tasks to be more proactive, and prepare for larger infrastructure projects.

3. How do you feel those issues should be taken care of?

I think updating equipment to better suit the daily maintenance tasks would help the employees work more efficiently and independently. I would also like to see employees trained in areas where needed so we could save money by not having to hire outside contractors.

4. What are the skills and/or attributes that you feel make you a good candidate?

I have 35 years in the construction industry with experience in underground utilities, excavation, road building, and commercial building construction. I was self-employed for 20 of those years and am currently the county maintenance person.

5. If you received a $1 million grant to use for the city any way you wanted, what would you do with it and why?

I would use some of it to update equipment to better fit our needs and put the rest towards infrastructure, (sidewalks, streets, etc.).

Ballots will be mailed out on Friday, October 15, to all Ward 1 registered voters.