TOWNSEND — Broadwater County voters have made their choices in two closely watched local races, electing Mark Wood to a full term as sheriff and returning Debi Randolph to the County Commission.
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Wood defeated Luis Espinoza in the nonpartisan sheriff/coroner race with 83% of the vote. Wood received 2,943 votes, while Espinoza received 615.
For Wood, the victory marks a change from how he initially took over the job. He was appointed sheriff in April after former Sheriff Nick Rauser stepped down for personal reasons.
"It means a lot that the public voted me in," Wood said. "I wasn't just appointed; I've been elected by the citizens, and I'm proud of that."
Wood joined the Broadwater County Sheriff's Office in 2016 and has held nearly every position in the department. He began his law enforcement career with the Metropolitan Police Department in Washington, D.C., and said he has now spent 46 years in public service.
During the campaign, Wood said retaining employees and ensuring deputies have the training and equipment they need would be among his priorities.
Following his victory, Wood said he plans to continue that work while trying to maintain the county's current level of law enforcement service without asking taxpayers for additional money.
"We're making big strides, we're keeping everybody here and I'm gonna try to keep the same services without asking the public for any more tax dollars," Wood said.
Wood will serve a four-year term.
Randolph wins another term on County Commission
The race for Broadwater County District 1 commissioner was closer, with incumbent Debi Randolph defeating Tim Ravndal.
Randolph received 1,892 votes, or 54%, while Ravndal received 1,599 votes, or 46%.
Randolph is finishing her first term as commissioner and will now serve another six years.
During the campaign, Randolph identified property taxes and housing costs as some of the biggest challenges facing Broadwater County. Following her reelection, she said property taxes and water will be among the issues she plans to advocate for at the state level.
"I plan on testifying up at the Capitol about property taxes. That's got to be the number one issue up there, as well as water," Randolph said. "Luckily Broadwater County is very close to Helena so we can get up there and testify on things that matter to us."
Randolph said she also wants to continue work on ongoing county projects and strengthen communication with residents.
"Communication. Transparency. Almost all problems can be solved with communication," Randolph said.
As she begins another term, Randolph said she would also like to build a stronger relationship between communities throughout Broadwater County.
"I would like to see a better relationship from the north end of the county to the south end of the county and understand we are all Broadwater County residents," Randolph said. "The issues are different, but we're stronger together than apart."
Randolph said she is honored by the result and plans to continue working hard during her next term.
