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Libby Mayor Runs For City Council as a ‘Spoiler’

Roll running for city council in hopes of derailing other candidates, says he will not run for re-election in 2017

By Justin Franz
Doug Roll. Justin Franz | Flathead Beacon

Libby Mayor Doug Roll’s final campaign for public office will be an interesting one.

Roll, who still has two years in office as the city’s chief executive, has decided to run for city council in hopes of preventing three political adversaries from getting or staying on the board. Roll said as mayor it would be inappropriate for him to meddle in a municipal election, but as a candidate he can say whatever he wants.

“I’m running as a spoiler,” Roll said. “I want to make sure that Allen Olsen, DC Orr and Arlen Magill don’t get on the council.”

Magill, Orr and Olsen, who is already on the council, are among 10 people who have filed for four spots that will be available this fall. The three candidates with the most votes will be placed on the council.

Roll’s decision to run for city council just to disrupt the three men’s chances is just the latest in a long dispute between the mayor and Olsen, who was elected in 2011. Since then, Roll has butted heads with Olsen and the others on numerous occasions. Recently, the Montana Commissioner of Political Practices alleged that Roll, former City Attorney James Reintsma and the Libby City Council possibly influenced the 2013 mayoral election when the city filed a lawsuit against Olsen alleging he was not a resident and thus could not run for mayor against Roll. Roll beat Olsen by just 13 votes.

Roll said that the allegations are unwarranted and that Olsen, Orr and Magill are the sources of controversy, not him.

“We’ve been dealing with their crap for 15 years,” Roll said. “People say the city council is full of controversy but that’s not true. It’s Orr and Olsen that make up the controversies.”

Orr said he was not surprised that Roll was trying to derail his chances and was confident it would not work.

“He has no respect for free and fair elections,” Orr said of Roll.

Roll said he does not plan on campaigning for himself or even voting for himself, but he will campaign against the other three. He said if he is in the top three, he will not step down to become a councilor and will serve out his term as mayor. He said he does not plan on running for re-election in two years.

“It’s time for younger people to get involved and people with new ideas,” he said.

The upcoming municipal election is Nov. 3.