Fremont County attorney Pat to resign March 31; GOP central committee to nominate replacements

Pat, the county attorney, announced at a Fremont County Board of Commissioners meeting that they will resign effective March 31 and will begin a new job in April. "That'll be my last day. March 31," Pat said. "It's been the best job that I've ever had in my life."

The resignation triggers a statutory vacancy process in which the county Republican central committee must meet within 15 days of official notice to receive applicants and select three nominees. The board then has five days to interview and appoint one of those three. A county staff member outlined the timeline at the meeting: "On April 1, we would email the GOP chairman. And then after they receive notice, they have 15 days to hold a meeting of the central committee... and they will choose 3 of them. And then they have, they will get that back to the board who then has 5 days to take those 3 and interview and appoint somebody."

Commissioners discussed logistics and calendar conflicts that could arise from the short statutory timetable. One commissioner noted the board's regular meeting schedule (the first, eighth and 22nd of the month) and warned a special meeting might be necessary to meet the five-day appointment window. Staff said they planned to notify the GOP chairman on April 1 and help coordinate timing with the central committee, noting the party process had worked previously when another officeholder left: "When Christie Green left, we let them know ahead of time so they could start planning... and that gave them plenty of time to get together and decide what would be a good time to meet."

At the meeting staff clarified eligibility expectations discussed by commissioners: nominees must be registered electors and reside in the county as of the appointment date. A participant recalled past practice in which an appointee registered locally before appointment to meet the requirement. The board also agreed staff would prepare the formal notice the chairman will sign and send to the central committee.

Other business at the meeting included administrative preparations and upcoming events tied to the resignation timeline. Staff said liquor licenses were prepared and would be ready for signature next week. Commissioners also planned a March tour of the NOCWC building and the newly purchased coroner's building; and received an update on a proposed new fire station, where grant funds have been exhausted and officials will need to seek additional grants to proceed.

No formal vote on appointment or replacement occurred at the meeting; the board directed staff to notify the county GOP chairman, prepare the written notice of vacancy, and be ready to schedule a special meeting if the statutory timeline requires it.