The Flathead Valley’s Leading Independent Journal of Observation, Analysis, & Opinion. © James R. Conner.

 

24 March 2012

Next year’s Flathead County Commission —
short on experience, perhaps long on mistakes

Come January, 2013, the Flathead County Commission’s senior member will be Pam Holmquist, elected just two years ago. A greenhorn will replace six-year veteran Dale Lauman, and the man replacing Jim Dupont, who served four years before his untimely death, will have at best just over six month’s experience.

It’s not supposed to work that way.

Staggered terms are supposed to ensure that a majority of the commissioners have at least two years experience — but that doesn’t happen on a three-member commission when one commissioner retires at the end of his term, and an unexpected retirement or death requires electing two new commissioners at the same time.

And if two commissioners leave office and/or die before at least one successor can be sworn-in, a commission could be left without a quorum, unable to make decisions.

Unlikely outcomes, perhaps. But as current experience proves, far from being so improbable as to be no cause for concern.

The stability of Montana’s county commissions is predicated on all commissioners serving their full terms. There’s no margin for error.

That’s stupid. Dangerous. And downright inexplicable.

I’m constantly amazed that even small towns have city councils with five or more members, and usually a professional city manager, but counties, with far more people and territory to govern, depend on three-member commissions with quasi-administrative/policy-making duties.

Five or seven-member commissions with staggered four-year terms, only policy-making duties, and a professional county executive (paid his full worth) to handle administrative functions, would provide much more stability.

The Flathead’s voters aren’t ready for that yet — the mere thought makes them choke on their tea — but they might be after a full year of being governed by the three tyros.

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27 March 2012
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Your article has some validity about day to day operations and knowing how the general flow of the commission works, but I personally think it has been for too long that the County Commission has let the EPA, FWP, USFW, et al run roughshod over our property rights and our ability to not only use our land recreationally but harvest the great wealth the state of MT has. We all need to realize the significance of our state constitution, Article 11, Section 3, rights which include “healthful environment” and rights of pursuing life’s basic necessities, enjoying and defending our lives, liberties, acquiring, possessing and protecting property, and seeking SAFETY, HEALTH ANG HAPPINESS in all lawful ways. Our government at state and federal levels has infringed on all of this through deliberate introduction of non-native wolves. These predators are endangering both humans and other animals. We are in an emergency situation in this regard, and the County Commissioners and the Sheriff can do something about it through the Coordination Process, based on their obligation for protecting the county citizens HEALTH AND SAFETY.

Can a new team have some getting up to speed issues? You bet, but let them get rolling and the positive change which could happen by losing the “good old boys” might be the best thing that happened to the Flathead in a long time.

Ben Stormes — GOP Candidate for Dist One
Vice President — Montanans For Mulitple Use

Editor’s note. Wolves were re-introduced into the Yellowstone Ecosystem, but not in the Northern Continental Divide Ecosystem. Wolves in the NCDE immigrated from Canada on their own, without consulting biologists, customs agents, hunters, or anyone else. Wolves pose little or no threat to humans. See the InterLake’s editorial, Don’t panic over wandering wolf.