Columbia Falls City Council Narrows Large Candidate Pool to Fill Councilor Vacancy

The Columbia Falls City Council on Monday will meet with the four community members vying to fill a council seat left vacant following Councilor Christopher Semok’s resignation in late June. 

City councilors at their July 20 regular meeting narrowed the applicant pool from 12 to four, moving Staci Bloomberg, Roger Hopkins, Elizabeth McBride, and Kaitlyn Seemiller along to the interview portion of the process, which is set for a special city council meeting on the evening of July 27. 

“I just wish that we could be running an election and we could have this kind of interest,” Mayor Donald Barnhart light-heartedly said to the council at their Monday meeting. “I certainly do appreciate the fact that we have all this interest.”

Each applicant will meet with the councilors for a roughly 15-minute interview before the council moves into discussion, ultimately aiming to come to a consensus on who will fill in until the November 2027 election. To abide by state deadlines, the council must name a replacement by its Aug. 3 regular meeting. 

The city council on July 6 put out a call for letters of interest to replace Semok, who resigned on June 28 following a formal written letter of censure regarding chronic meeting absenteeism and an overall lack of communication, which was approved by his fellow councilors on June 15. 

In just two weeks, the city received 12 letters of interest, as well as a handful of letters of support for some of the applicants. Eligible candidates had to be a U.S. citizen, a registered voter and a city of Columbia Falls resident for greater than 60 days.

Bloomberg is a Montana licensed attorney currently working as human resources consultant, according to her letter of interest submitted to the city. She has called Montana home for 25 years, living in Columbia Falls for the last 10 years. Noting that community service has been important throughout her life, Bloomberg currently serves on the Columbia Falls/Woodlawn Cemetery Board and as a volunteer youth soccer coach with Flathead Rapids Soccer Club.

“I believe the best local government reflects the collective wisdom of people who care deeply about their community and are willing to listen to one another,” Bloomberg wrote in her letter. 

Hopkins is no stranger to Columbia Falls city government, serving as the city’s first city manager more than 30 years ago and most recently assuming the position of vice chair of the Columbia Falls Local Government Study Commission. He has also served on the Kalispell City Council and was the last elected mayor as administrator, leading the transition from the mayor-council to council-manager form of government.

In his letter of interest, however, Hopkins encouraged the councilors to seek a younger applicant for the position, noting he wouldn’t run for election in November 2027 and instead encourage younger candidates to file for office. 

“No one knows better than you how rapidly the city is changing and growing, along with the challenges that come with it,” Hopkins wrote. “As the demographics of our town change, with many younger people moving here, and others coming home here and starting families, this younger cohort deserves a youthful representative.”

McBride has been a long-time Flathead Valley resident and is a founder of the Montana Bar Fairies — a community-driven nonprofit dedicated to preventing drunk driving, supporting grieving families, and advocating for stronger DUI laws. McBride cited several skills stemming from her work with the Bar Fairies as advantageous for city council, including community organizing, nonprofit leadership and legislative advocacy.

“I believe local government has a profound impact on our everyday lives, often in ways many of us don’t fully recognize,” McBride wrote. “Before attending city council meetings, I assumed many aspects of city government simply ‘took care of themselves.’ I now understand that every resident has both the opportunity and the responsibility to participate.” 

Seemiller holds a master’s degree in public administration from the University of Montana and has spent more than nine years serving the public in various roles at local utility cooperatives, she told councilors in her letter. Seemiller’s priorities if selected to fill the vacancy would be “balanced and sustainable growth,” “analytical and responsible governance,” and “transparent community engagement.” 

“As a dedicated resident who deeply values the community, character, and future of Columbia Falls, I am eager to contribute my background in public administration, project coordination, data-driven decision-making, and process management to support our municipal leadership and serve our residents effectively,” Seemiller wrote.

[email protected]