Chase, McCollum ousted from Paradise Sewer Board

After a recall election tally that was recounted multiple times because it was so close, two members of the Paradise Sewer Board are no longer part of the controversial sewer installation battle.

Both outgoing Board President Sunny Chase and member Rick McCollum were recalled by two votes each in the latest chapter of the nearly decade-long struggle to halt a controversial sewer project in the unincorporated town adjacent to the Clark Fork River in southern Sanders County.

The removal of Chase and McCollum leaves the Board with just two members, which is not enough for a quorum and means the Board cannot conduct business or vote on anything until at least one new member is elected.

Sewer opponent and area resident Katy French, who is also a project engineer, said they have requested a special election to replace the three board members.

It was thought to be possible for Sanders County Commissioners to appoint new members, but county election officials say it is not clear the commissioners have such power.

Chase was recalled by a 36-34 vote, while McCollum was removed from the five-member board by a 35-33 margin.

The vote was counted and witnessed by four Sanders County officials and two independent talliers. According to reports the vote was counted several times to make sure the two-vote margins were accurate.

The razor-slim margins were in contrast to an informal vote taken several months ago by current acting Board President Terry Caldwell which asked residents for a simple “yes” or “no” on whether they support or oppose the proposed $4.5 million project.

In that poll, a 59-21 majority of Paradise residents said they did not want the project and its costs to local property owners to proceed.

As both proponents and opponents of the project engaged in back and forth maneuvers, those opposed to the project to hook up the approximately 70 residential properties were able to successfully establish a recall vote and halt the project in its tracks in recent months.

Residents opposed to the proposed sewer system have long argued that Chase and other members of the Board did not properly inform residents of meetings and other project related matters.

They also opposed the plan to hook up several residential homes to be built by local property owner Bridger Bischoff on land he owns on the north side of the town.

Plans also called for a buy/sell arrangement between Bischoff and the former board members to purchase six acres of land on the western edge of Paradise to be used for construction of a sewage treatment facility.

“What precipitated the recall effort was the Buy-Sell Agreement that was signed by the Sewer Board,” said French. “No one had seen the agreement. No one had heard of it and no discussions were held in public.”

French added that Chase refused to release the document for public review for several months. French said she tried for months to get a copy of the document but was unable to do so.

“That’s clearly unacceptable and speaks to the issue of the absence of access to public documents,” French said. “As we started to dig into the background of the Buy-Sell, we found multiple violations of the public trust. Hundreds of thousands of dollars were spent with no review or approval of the bills or warrants at the table.

“The sewer project went from an idea to a final design without any public input at any stage.”

French said the Board committed multiple infractions of normal public body disclosure and by-laws requirements along the way.

“To put it bluntly it was a mess,” she said. “Chair Chase said she didn’t know she was violating the law. That statement is disingenuous at best.”

The next step will likely be scheduling an election to fill the vacancies. The current Board consists of Caldwell and Janice Barber. Board member Adam Rice resigned his position earlier this summer.

One candidate already with his name on a proposed ballot is Paradise resident and property owner Cody Lampman. He said he is looking forward to righting the situation with full transparency if he is elected.

“Unquestionably the sewer design and construction that was stopped in June was a direct result of these Board members’ poor governance,” Lampman said. “If a legal process had been followed which sought the input of the community, the final scope and size of the project would have been different. The public cannot be left out of the decision making process.”

Lampman said his goal, if elected, would be to abolish the whole system and hold a vote on what the public wants.

“The recall itself was proof the people didn’t want the sewer project as proposed,” Lampman said.

The recall is the first of its kind in Sanders County history, and may be the first recall of publicly elected board members in the state of Montana, according to Sanders County officials.