Lake County Commissioner Steve Stanley submitted his letter of resignation to his peers Monday, effective Oct. 2.

“It's time is probably the best reason,” he said, citing health as a concern. “I spent my whole career working for the public, and now it's time to be at home, worrying about me.”

Stanley has worked 37 years for Lake County, including 30 years in Disaster and Emergency Services, first as deputy coordinator and then as coordinator for 18 years until his retirement in 2018.

He returned to county government in 2021 when he was appointed to replace Commissioner Dave Stipe, who was suffering from a rare form of skin cancer. Stanley was elected to a six-year term in 2022.

Stanley said his long history as a county employee was helpful in his new post. “I can't imagine walking in and not knowing employees, not knowing departments,” he said. “It is a daunting, daunting challenge.”

“I don't think the public realizes – and I know I didn't – the steep learning curve that's involved in this position,” Commissioner Gale Decker said. “There's just a short window to try to get yourself up to date on the issues and try to understand what's going on and pretty soon you're voting on them, one way or the other. It's a difficult, but rewarding position to step into.”

Commissioner Bill Barron has known and worked with Stanley since 1996, first as sheriff and then as a commissioner. “What I really like about Steve is he's not afraid to take a stand and make a vote even if it's not popular,” he said. “He does what he thinks is right.”

Stanley has served during a robust era for the county. Major road projects, a new mechanic shop that allows the road department to repair all of its equipment, construction of the new Dave Stipe Annex, the opening of a new landfill, which saves the county money by keeping garbage close to home instead of shipping it to Missoula, and upcoming jail and courthouse renovations are some of the significant accomplishments that have occurred during his tenure.

“I look back at the county 30 years ago, it was sort of stagnant, and the bar wasn't very high,” he said. “The commissioners raised the bar, and then everyone stepped to the plate.”

“We should be proud of what we have,” he added, crediting the county’s employees and department heads with much of the progress. “They're very frugal, they work hard, they do a lot without a lot of money.”

The job, however, is not without its stressors. When he joined the commission, Stanley hoped to capitalize on the working relationships he had developed with tribal government while serving as emergency services manager.

“You put commissioner in front of your name and you become the enemy,” he said. “And I am very saddened that I was not able to do some things that I really thought we could get done.”

The position will be advertised, and since it’s held by a Republican, applicants will first be vetted by the Republican Central Committee. The committee then submits three candidates from District 2 to the remaining commissioners, who will choose Stanley’s replacement. If they don’t select one of the first three, another three are submitted, and so on.

The new commissioner would then be expected to run for office in the next general election.

“It's quite a rigorous process to finally get vetted and everything by the Central Committee and then come and be interviewed by the commissioners,” Decker said. “It takes courage to put your name out there and go through the process.”