Lincoln County candidate for Clerk and Recorder Travis Sigea said he’s hoping to serve his community.

Sigea is a native of Washington who moved to Libby in 2016.

“My family moved here in 2006 after they had some legal problems, but I chose to remain in Washington,” Sigea said in a recent interview with The Western News. “I later moved to Portland and worked for a security firm. I worked at a moving company before hurting my back.”

Sigea said after his ex-wife gave him sole custody of their son he decided to move to south Lincoln County.

“I worked at the Troy Juvenile Detention before it closed in 2017, then I went to work in the county jail for about eight or nine months,” he said. “Working in the jail, it was a very negative atmosphere and there was a suicide, so I went to work at Ron’s Appliance and injured my back again.”

After getting a CDL license and driving truck, he decided he was away from home and his son more than he wanted.

“I had some friends come to me about the Clerk and Recorder position. I have a degree in Human Resources and Public Administration, so I decided to run,” Sigea said.

He said Libby resident Steve Gunderson, a candidate for Montana Senate District 2, has supported him.

Sigea is also the brother of Sierra Gustin, an election deputy in the county Election Department, led by Melanie Howell.

“I have a good working relationship with Melanie (Howell), but I haven’t talked to her about her comments at the May 13 commissioners meeting,” Sigea said.

Up until sometime in 2025, the Elections Department was under the oversight of the county Clerk and Recorder.

Howell has received scrutiny for mistakes made in some previous elections as well as issues with the 2026 primary election and things she repeated at the commission meeting that were said by Montana Secretary of State Christy Jacobsen’s spokesperson, Richie Melby.

“This type of mass confusion is why courts shouldn’t get involved when the election is already underway,” Melby said, pointing out that the Supreme Court has blocked district court rulings in similar scenarios. “You can see why it’s challenging for election officials to fully prepare for an election with the back-and-forth judicial tennis match instigated by East Coast activists.”

District 1 Commissioner Brent Teske followed Howell’s comments by stating, “I want to make clear to the audience that the political commentary is not your commentary, that’s coming from who? The political commentary about the judges and all that other stuff.”

Howell replied, “It’s from the court docket and the Secretary of State’s office.”

“If I get elected, I’ve planned to go to Broadwater County and job shadow with the VP of the Montana Clerk and Recorder’s Association,” Sigea said.

That would be Broadwater County Clerk and Recorder Angie Paulsen. She is running for re-election this year.

But even Paulsen has apparently been tripped up by the new laws. 

In an April 16 story on ktvq.com/news/montana-politics/election-officials-remind-montana-voters-about-birth-year-requirement-on-mail-ballots?, she said absentee voters would have to sign their ballot.

“Everybody is going to have to sign their ballot and also put their year of birth, and we want to make sure that voters know,” said Angie Paulsen, Broadwater County’s clerk and recorder and election administrator.

Despite the conflicts, Sigea said he wants to serve his community and he, “definitely isn’t doing it for the popularity.”

Sigea’s opponent in the June 2 primary is former Clerk and Recorder deputy Crystal Denton.

The race has become contentious as detractors of Denton criticized her on social media about ballot collection in the November 2025 general election. 

Denton has since come out with a statement addressing the matter.

Sigea said during a recent candidate forum that he wanted to rebuild trust and confidence in the office.

He also said he’s never worked on a government budget as a public servant, but did some budget work in a company he worked for.

“I’ll serve with integrity for years to come,” he said.