The Flathead County Commissioners on April 16 appointed Columbia Falls businessman Cal Scott to fill the interim commissioner position opened by the death of Jim Dupont on March 19. Scott, 68, was sworn in on April 17 and will hold the position until the end of the year.

Scott was one of three nominees selected by the Flathead County Republican Central Committee and forwarded to the commissioners for appointment. The other two were Lyle Phillips and Ben Stormes, both of Whitefish.

The founder and director of Enhancing The Homeownership Ideals For Communities, an education and counseling organization, Scott is also one of eight Republican and one Democratic candidates hoping to fill the remaining two years of Dupont’s six-year term. The winner of the general election will begin serving in November.

Scott has been a prominent businessman in the valley over the years, working in mortgage financing, banking, real estate development and volunteer financial consulting. In a recent candidate forum, he described himself as a capitalist with conservative values.

Scott grew up in the Flathead Valley, attending elementary schools in Kalispell and Columbia Falls. He graduated from Polson High School, served in the Army and then earned a degree in civil engineering at the University of Nevada.

After working one year in engineering, he switched to a career in real estate. He and his wife Laura moved back to the Flathead in 2001 with plans to retire, but instead Scott got into education and counseling.