Elected Officials Sworn In, Those Retiring Honored

In the second level of the Phillips County Courthouse, the official swearing to the oath of office was conducted for various offices within the County. Wednesday, Dec. 28th, re-elected County Commissioner John Carnahan was the first to be sworn in, with the oath administered by Commissioner Bruce Christofferson.

Then newly-elected County Attorney Dan O'Brien was sworn in followed by the administration of oath to Lee Pekovitch, who will serve as Deputy County Attorney.

The oath was administered to re-elected Phillips County Sheriff/Coroner Jerry Lytle.

Deputy Roger Has the Eagle was then sworn in as Undersheriff/Coroner for Phillips County. He is the first Native American Undersheriff to serve in Phillips County.

The oath was administered to re-elected County Clerk and Recorder/Surveyor/Auditor Lynnel LaBrie; her staff Deputies, Lori Lundstrom and Alyson Burke were duly sworn in next.

Ann Remely was elected in November and will fill the position of County Treasurer/Assessor/Supt. of Schools. Her Deputy, Lorraine Hellie, was sworn in following Ann's oath recital.

Commissioner Richard Dunbar gave plaques of service recognition to retiring County officials. Edward Amestoy served as Deputy County Attorney from Jan. 1, 1986 to March 31, 1990. He served as County Attorney from January 7, 1994 to June 5, 2022.

Jean Mavencamp served as Clerk in the County Treasurer's office from September 1, 1981 to March 1, 1991. She served as County Treasurer from March 1, 1991 to her retirement date of December 31, 2022.

Darlene Kolczak filled the County Supt. of Schools position since Sept. 16, 2016 up to her retirement date of Dec. 31, 2022.

In an emotional radio message as his "10-10 for the last time," Undersheriff Kevin Metcalf radioed Dispatch on Dec. 22, 2022 at 16:53 hours and retired. Kevin served as a Deputy Sheriff from January 16, 2008, and served the County as Undersheriff from Jan. 1, 2019 until his last shift on Dec. 21st.

The retirement plaques had pictures of the courthouse with the green light which is symbolic of support for the return of all military soldiers.

A reception was held on the basement level and refreshments, coffee, cake and punch were served. Friends, family, and co-workers joined the County officials in celebrating this milestone.

Walking away into the fading sun, Undersheriff Kevin isn't likely to look back. He has his retirement and plans to unfold before him down the road.

"These officers are all younger than me, they are like my kids to me...in fact they could be my grandkids! The changes that have been made within the office have been technical upgrades...and with a small budget it takes time."

Keeping up on modern changes is only one change he has been through under the guidance of Sheriff Jerry Lytle.

"We work close with the Border Patrol and Homeland Security, working on getting the illegal aliens stopped at the borders. A big help has been the side-by-side, which was also used when a man was missing out south...there are places our vehicles won't go and having that side-by-side is great," Metcalf said.

Kevin has put in 24 years before he was ready to take time for himself. Those years will be shared in a future article encapsulating.

While others are sitting back and enjoying retirement from a well-earned easy chair, Kevin still has plans...places to go, things to do, people to see, and maybe even a little trouble to cause.