BIG FALLS — On Friday, Cascade County commissioners held a special meeting and voted 2-1 to approve a $52,500 settlement with Rina Fontana Moore after she filed a complaint with the Montana Human Rights Bureau alleging discrimination because of her political beliefs.

Fontana Moore is a Democrat and is currently running for a seat in the Montana House of Representatives. All three commissioners – Joe Briggs, Jim Larson and Rae Grulkowski – are Republicans.

Briggs and Larson voted in favor of the settlement agreement, while Grulkowski voted against.

Moore held the position of Cascade County Clerk and Recorder for 16 years before losing re-election to Sandra Merchant in 2022.

When the county removed Merchant’s election privileges in December 2023, Moore applied for the newly created position of elections administrator.

But the county ultimately gave the position to businesswoman Terry Thompson, who had never worked in an elections office before. Moore believes she was the most qualified applicant for the job and has filed the complaint with HRB.

The settlement is not an admission of wrongdoing, but was agreed to avoid a lengthy and costly legal process.

Cascade County Attorney Josh Racki was initially involved in the complaint, so attorney Jordan York Crosby was appointed as counsel to negotiate on behalf of the county.

“In the grand scheme of this case, ($52,500) is relatively minimal of what the county would ultimately pay. The process takes a long time. It would probably take at least a year to get through that,” Crosby said. “And the county would have to provide two attorneys and pay those attorneys. So you’re probably well over $52,500 in attorney fees alone before a final decision on discrimination is made or not.”

The Montana Association of Counties does not provide coverage for discrimination based on political affiliation, so Cascade County is responsible for paying the settlement amount.