There are five candidates running for four council member positions for the Town of Alberton. Elections will be held on Nov. 7 with mail-in ballot arriving in resident mailboxes by the end of the week.

Normally, council member four-year terms are staggered and so there are only two open seats during each election cycle. However, some members stepped down before their terms were up which caused this unique situation of four open seats.

Current Alberton council consists of:

Mayor, Josh Acker elected in 2013

Council member, Marvin Garding, appointed in 2016

Council member, Salinas Bartel, appointed in 2017

Council member, John Bigart III, appointed in 2013

Council member, Jaime Odell, appointed 2016

The five candidates running for council are Josh Acker, Marvin Garding, Kim Garding, Salinas Bartel, Jaime Odell.

Candidates were asked to write a brief bio about themselves and why they want to be on the town council. Two of the five candidates responded by press time. Here are the bios they provided:

Salinas Bartel

My name is Salinas Bartel and I have been a resident of the town of Alberton since 2009. I am a mom to a blended family of 5 teenage boys and a 9 year old daughter. My husband is a firefighter/paramedic for Frenchtown. I have been an EMT for 8 years, a volunteer with crime victim special advocate for mineral and Missoula County, a business owner and a 911 Dispatcher.

Being a first responder my first concern would be for our access to rural medicine and health care. I would also like to see a larger law enforcement presence in Alberton. Living where we do can cause delays in access to both. I have enjoyed my time on the council for the last few months and look forward to answering any questions that you may have. I can be reached at 207-2841

Jaime Odell

My name is Jaime Odell and I’ve lived in Alberton since 2003 and has fallen in love with the area and the people in it. As a board member of The PEAK Foundation since its founding in 2013 and through many collaborative projects with the school, I have gotten to know and work with many of the youth, parents, and other community members. I am always looking for ways to bring the community together in fun and collaborative ways.

I have served two years on the town council, beginning my term in January 2015 as a nominated member to fill a vacated position. I see my time on the council as an extension of my work with PEAK and the school, and would like to continue my efforts to make a positive impact in the community.