'It was about Rick': Canyon Creek fire chair recalled by 97-vote margin, trustees look to heal district

The Canyon Creek Rural Fire District board chair was recalled Tuesday night by 97 votes in a special election, leaving some trustees with hope for the future to heal.

Richard Grady lost the recall election 146-49, with one undervote and one rejected vote, according to unofficial results. A canvassing to certify the election will be March 27.

Jim Thomas, vice-chair, now acting chair, said, "It wasn't about ideology or anything else, it was about Rick."

Grady was not immediately available for comment.

According to the district’s bylaws, the board works with the fire chief and assistant fire chief to manage and develop the fire district and fire company goals, policies and priorities. They also oversee the fire district budget.

Lewis and Clark County Elections Supervisor Connor Fitzpatrick said he did not expect the result and talked about his time dealing with Canyon Creek elections.

"(The margin differential) was a possibility that crossed my mind, but at the same time what I understood was going on on the campaigning side, I figured considering the recent history of Canyon Creek elections, there was a pretty decent chance it could have been close as well," he said.

Fitzpatrick said in 2023 a trustee seat was up for election with only a one- or two-vote difference and in 2024 another seat had a similar outcome.

Four Canyon Creek residents, including board treasurer Wendy Smith-Adamson, observed the count at the City-County Building at 316 N. Park Ave. in Helena.

Thomas was stationed about 20 miles away at the Canyon Creek Fire Hall at 7560 Duffy Lane, along with a couple firefighters in training.

"I was surprised by how resounding it was," Thomas said Wednesday. "There's been a lot going on, whether it was recall language or the redress petitions, people knew what was going on."

Thomas said it was unfortunate the recall had to happen, but it was necessary.

Lewis and Clark County Sheriff Leo Dutton previously called the events at the volunteer fire department "tumultuous," and they came to a boil in June in a dispute over a donated emergency response vehicle.

The board was hesitant to accept the roughly $55,000 truck and caused the community to voice its concerns over months of public comment and hours of board meetings.

Some of Canyon Creek's community lost faith in Grady throughout the course of the events, claiming he was incompetent and unfit to run the board.

This led to a "mutiny," a community member said.

The board failed to douse the flames within the community and caused uproar after it saw three fire chiefs within a year. Sam Stigman, former fire chief, resigned and cited the lack of control by Grady.

Jonathan Cunningham, successor to Stigman as fire chief, was released after a vote of no confidence by the board in September. Jeremy Gilliam followed Cunningham and resigned after 43 days, citing a "hostile work environment."

The district has been without a fire chief since November and has only two volunteer firefighters, according to its website. The Canyon Creek Rural Fire District encompasses roughly 106 square miles.

The recall election and removal of Grady would allow the district to heal and rebuild, according to Adamson and Thomas.

"This was an issue of the public being treated unlawfully," Adamson said. "... I find this particular result quite a rejection of the way things were going, so I am proud of the public for hearing what was going on and making a choice to change the direction."

The healing process will not be an easy road ahead, the board members acknowledged, but it could come to fruition using "c-words."

Thomas said things the board could work on in the future were "communication, cooperation and consensus." He said the board may not be able to agree on everything since everyone can think independently, but it could still work together for the betterment of the Canyon Creek community and fire district.

"I believe in the process and structure," Thomas said. A public commenter at a previous meeting called the meetings "uninviting," which Thomas said has lingered on his mind.

In a flyer made by Adamson, read in bold letters, "How do we heal Canyon Creek?" five points were listed including the recall of Grady, asking Trustee Max Eskildsen and Secretary Ellen Eskildsen to resign, elect herself and Stigman to the board, bring back the Mother's Day Pancake Breakfast and work to restore the fire district's personnel, training and equipment.

Other campaigning documents were sent to community members of Canyon Creek prior to the recall urging the public to stay informed about the events at the fire department.

The Eskildsens were not immediately available for comment.

Although Adamson wants to run for another three-year term, Thomas said he was not interested in another term. Thomas was appointed by the Lewis and Clark County Commission in early 2024.

The treasurer said she was hoping the commission would consider appointing him for another year, which Thomas said he would be interested in to "right the ship" before he leaves the board to a younger generation and community members, who he said were great people.

"I'm humbled. It's great having that kind of support," Thomas said.

Due to the ongoing turmoil in the volunteer fire district, the board faces a pending lawsuit and recently had 11 of 12 petitions for redress deemed to have merit by a Broadwater County deputy attorney. Lewis and Clark County, citing a conflict of interest, asked Broadwater to review the matter. 

Some of the petitions with merit claimed the board did not meet the required public notice criteria, agenda items submitted to the board chair by trustees were not added to agendas, the board disregarded public participation procedures and the board failed to allow any reasonable time for public feedback.