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Gail Berger appointed to Libby City Council; public comment raises conflict concerns
Summary
The Libby City Council appointed Gail Berger to a vacant seat after a nomination and roll-call vote; a public commenter accused council members of overlooking conflicts of interest. Berger took the oath but was told she may not vote until the oath is filed with the election officer under state law.
Gail Berger, a Libby resident and president of the Libby Area Business Association, was appointed to a vacant seat on the Libby City Council at a special meeting that opened at 6 p.m.
Berger, the sole applicant for the vacancy created by a resignation, introduced herself to the council, saying, "I'm Gail Berger I I'm from Libby I spent about 35 years in Alaska and moved back about 12 years ago." She described ongoing community involvement, service on the zoning board and work with local projects.
Councilors questioned Berger about how she would handle negative online posts and community distrust. Berger said she manages several local Facebook pages, monitors content "to make sure it doesn't get out of control," and aims to remain neutral while protecting free speech. She also said housing is a top concern for residents and that she had reviewed her business association's governing documents and did not see a conflict with serving on council.
During the public-comment period, a resident who identified their address spoke against the appointment process and accused the council of overlooking conflicts of interest, saying asking about conflicts "seems kind of rich coming from this body" and pointing to examples including a council member employed by another member and the zoning-board president doing work for a board authority. The council did not record a direct rebuttal in the transcript before moving to nominations.
A council member nominated Berger for the vacant seat and the mayor conducted a roll-call vote. The mayor then declared that Berger had been appointed. The meeting transcript records the roll call being taken but does not provide a clear, complete breakdown of individual votes in the recording provided.
Berger was sworn in at the meeting and recited the oath of office. The mayor noted a statutory filing requirement, stating that under the Montana Code Annotated the certified oath must be filed with the election officer before the officer performs official duties; the mayor clarified that while Berger could sit with the council that night, she could not vote until the oath was filed.
The mayor adjourned the special meeting until 7 p.m., when the council's regular meeting was scheduled to begin.
