Roosevelt County Without County Attorney

As the new year is about to start, Roosevelt County is without a county attorney and there’s no time frame as far as appointing a new individual to the position.

After Austin Knudsen was elected as the state’s new attorney general in November, commissioners began advertising to fill Knudsen’s position as county attorney.

Commissioners need to appoint someone to serve in the position until the next election cycle, which occurs in November 2022.

“We’re still reviewing,” commissioner Gordon Oelkers said.

He noted that commissioners haven’t set a deadline for making the appointment.

“We’re not quite ready,” Oelkers said. “We want to make sure we have the best candidate possible.”

Commissioners have interviewed two candidates for the position.

“We’re in a holding pattern and waiting for applications,” commissioner Duane Nygaard added.

In the meantime, deputy county attorney Frank A. Piocos is serving as the county’s top prosecutor.

The individual doesn’t have to live in Roosevelt County to be appointed, but that person would have to reside in the county if they ran for the office in 2022. Because the office is a non-partisan position in Roosevelt County, commissioners are totally in charge of appointing a replacement. If the position was party affiliated, that party would be responsible for providing names of three candidates to commissioners.

“It’s open until we find the best qualified person,” Oelkers said.