Your Elected Officials

  County Commissioner Joe Briggs is a native of Cascade County and has served as a County Commissioner since January of 2005.  Prior to his election he had a varied professional management career that included positions such as Assistant Fleet Maintenance Supervisor for a multinational Trucking Company, Director of Information services for a company that operated a range of business including vehicle dealerships, alcohol and food distribution, travel agencies and trucking companies.  This varied management background led to the creation of “Briggs Computer Consultants Inc. in 1991 which Joe operated until his election to office.  Briggs Computer Consultants offered a wide range of services but specialized in Wide and Local Area Network design and administration.

  While a small businessman he served as Chairman of the Board of the Great Falls Chamber, a member of the Military Affairs Committee, local Republican Party Chairman, District Chairman of the Boy Scouts of America and President of several local organizations as well as being the President of the National Federation of Pachyderm Clubs.

  When elected in 2004, Briggs closed his consulting firm to focus his professional efforts on the role of commissioner but continued with most of his civic activities.  

  In his role as a County Commissioner he has focused his efforts on economic development and the preservation of Malmstrom AFB.  He has remained active on the Military Affairs Committee and is a Past Chairman; he is a founding member and Director of the Montana Defense Alliance, Past President of the regional multi county Economic development organization, director of the Great Falls Area Chamber of Commerce and an Executive Committee member of Great Falls Development. 

  He is a Past President of the Montana Association of County Officials and chaired their Community, Economic Development and Labor Committee for many years.  On the national level is a Past Chairman of the Telecommunications and Technology Committee of the National Association of Counties and currently is a Vice Chair of the Telecommunications and Technology Committee, a Vice Chair of the IT Standing Committee, a Vice Chair of the  Veterans and Military Services Committee and a member of RAC. In July of 2019 Briggs was elected to the position of NACo West Region Representative to the Executive Committee.

  Joe and his wife Kathy have two grown children both living in North Central Montana. Jessica, the eldest, works for a local nonprofit and is an aspiring writer and her brother James is a High School English Teacher in Conrad.

Jim Larson, age 72, was raised in the Belt Area and still lives and ranches southwest of Belt. He spent all his school years in Belt and is a graduate of Belt Valley High School. His military career consisted of 4 years in the U.S. Navy, as a communications Technician, spending time in Spain, South Korea and countries along the west coast of Africa.

        Jim is married to wife, Darae, and they were blessed with 2 sons that live in Great Falls. Oldest son, Lee, his wife, Kelly and 3 children, Ava, Mia and son Smith. Jay is the younger son and is married to wife, Lesley and they have 2 daughters, Violet and Liberty.

         Jim enjoys ranch life with his family, growing winter wheat and hay, along with raising cattle and loves to hunt when time allows.

         He was elected to the Cascade County Commission, Jan. 1, 2015 and is finishing the end of his 6^th year as commissioner.

  Rae Grulkowski is a Cascade County businesswoman.  She operates a family-owned residential and commercial service business with her husband, Ron. They own commercial and residential properties within the City of Great Falls and the County.  In these roles, a foundation for financial responsibility and negotiation skills to keep all sides happy has been cultivated. 

  Her employment background includes that of a safety DOT compliance supervisor, human resources, assembly line work, school bus driver, substitute teacher, and wrangler. Previous employers were Rubbermaid, Inc., Public School Districts in Wisconsin and Montana, and the Montana Wheat and Barley Committee.  

  Private sector experience encompasses growing businesses and gracefully guiding their down-sizing; making business decisions that impact other individuals; researching and applying federal / state laws and local ordinances in creating and administering business-related policies; recruiting, motivating and working alongside employees, while maintaining diplomacy for all sides involved.  

  Rae and her husband, Ron, make their home on rural acreage southeast of Stockett.  Her family, maintaining a small farm and keeping active in her hobbies are things Rae enjoys when away from private and County business.  

  Rae was elected as District 3 County Commissioner in November 2022.  Her desire in serving the people is to encourage citizen participation and promote transparency in our local government.  

Josh is a lifelong Montanan. He joined the Army after high school and was honorably discharged in 1997.  He graduated from MSU Bozeman in 2000 with a degree in Criminal Justice and from UM Law School in 2003. Josh practiced in Kalispell as a private attorney for 2 years before joining the Cascade County Attorney’s Office in 2005. Josh has tried nearly every type of criminal case from speeding tickets to deliberate homicides. He has received several awards for his work as a prosecutor, previous served on the veterans and adult treatment court, is a trained Internet Crimes against Children prosecutor, and currently serves on the board of the Montana County Attorney’s Association. He is the vice commander of Chapter 2 of the Montana Disabled American Veterans and an assistant scout master for Scout Troop 14.

Josh was appointed as the Cascade County Attorney on May 17^th, 2017. He has modernized the office’s work processes to increase efficiency and provide enhanced service to the community.  Josh is working hard to increase both accountability and rehabilitation in the local justice system.

 Josh is married to Tena and has two daughters and four granddaughters. He enjoys hiking, hunting, and exploring the Montana outdoors.

I have proudly called Montana home my entire life, growing up on the Hi Line in Cut Bank and moving to Great Falls early in 2014.  I am a daughter with 4 sisters, a blessed mother of 2 daughters and a son and a very happy grandmother of 4 soon to be 5. 

I began my career in the Eighth Judicial District as a Deputy Clerk of Court in February 2014, was promoted to Chief Deputy Clerk of Court in July 2017, and was appointed to complete the term of retired Clerk of Court, Faye McWilliams, in January 2020.  Throughout my time in the Clerk of Courts Office I have gained a real respect and knowledge of the Clerk’s role within the District Court, and have had the honor to observe and be in the courtroom with each of our District Court Judges and Standing Master.  

I look forward to the future and the many changes on the horizon in the Clerk of District Court’s Office.  I will use my experience and dedication to help this office stay on pace with the ever increasing caseload and I will continue to work together as a team with all those whom have a hand in the successful operation of the Eighth Judicial District Court.    

Sheriff Jesse Slaughter is a Montana Native.  Jesse is married to Christie Slaughter an Adult Probation and Parole Officer with the State of Montana.  Jesse and Christie have three children.  Sheriff Slaughter was elected to the Office of Sheriff and took Office on January 2019. Sheriff Slaughter is a board member of the Montana Sheriff’s and Peace Officers where he serves on the Government Relations Committee.  “I’m honored to uphold and protect the Constitution and serve the people of Cascade County.  God Bless.”

I was born and raised in Great Falls, moving to Cascade for Jr. High and High School. I graduated from Cascade High School along with my husband Paul in 1983.  We married in 1985 and have two grown children whom we raised in Belt and two grandchildren.  I was elected to the office of Treasurer, Superintendent of Schools and took office January 2019 determined to make a positive difference to the structure of the office.