Lake County commissioner hopefuls target solutions at Big Arm debate debate

By Jennifer McBride / Leader Staff

BIG ARM — Most politicians don't tell their audience what they can't have, but candidates at the county commissioners' debate weren't your average politicians.

"I don't think the county's in the fiscal position to do that," Bill Barron said, in response to a question about starting a county-wide recycling program.

"We could paint the courthouse white and call it the Whitehouse, then we can print some more money," said Ron Boyce, when the moderator asked whether he would give more money to rural fire departments.

"I don't know if we need any more of that," Vince Rubino said, after he was questioned about opening more aesthetically-pleasing county land to public use. "We already have so much, and the maintenance and building costs could be prohibitive."

The April 3 county commissioner candidates' debate, hosted by the Big Arm association, drew about three dozen people to the Big Arm fire hall. The discussion centered less on the differences between the five people and more on a search for solutions.

The candidates came from a wide variety of backgrounds, including two former sheriffs, a campaign manager for John Mercer, a former state representative and a retired military man.

The candidates will square off in the primary election June 3.

Meet the candidates

The candidates opened the one-and-a-half-hour debate with five-minute statements. Democrat Jeanne Windham, who drew first position, stressed her experience as president of Domestic Violence Education and Services (DOVES) and a former member of the Montana House of Representatives. She also said she has a bachelors and a masters degree from the University of Montana.

If elected, Windham pledged she would hold ongoing town hall meetings to encourage public participation and hire a grant writer for the county. She also promised to dedicate herself to the position 24/7.

"It's not a job, it's a commitment," she said.

Democrat Vince Rubino started his speech with his experience as a military man. The armed services, he said, taught him budget management and administration skills. While in the military, Rubino worked on the president's budget.

"Admittedly I was a little cog in a big wheel," he said.

After talking about himself, Rubino brought out a pie chart showing how current taxes are allocated. He pointed out shortages, especially in law enforcement, and said his goal was to "recession-proof" the county. He also said it was important for the commissioners to build a monetary reserve and stronger bridges with the tribes.

Republican Mike Larson said he worked at the sheriff's office for eight years, where he handled a $2 million budget. He has graduate degrees in political science and sociology, as well as behind-the-scenes political experience. Larson is a former chairman of the Republican Party and ran a campaign for John Mercer, who served four terms as the Speaker of the Montana House of Representatives.

Larson explained he thought the three biggest challenges facing Lake County are rising property taxes, population growth and the lack of medium-pay jobs.

Republican Ron Boyce, former Mineral County Sheriff, spoke about his history beginning at the age of 18, "because that's as far back as they can track me." He talked about his work as a detective at the Mineral County sheriffs' office before moving to the sheriff's chair in 1978.

He also served as assistant police chief in the Polson police department.

If elected, Larson promised to exercise common sense in all his decisions and bring more transparency to local politics, including offering evening meetings to people who work 9 to 5.

"I'm not going to ask for your support, I'm going to earn your support," he said.

Republican Bill Barron didn't come in until later in the evening and confined his opening remarks to a brief statement. He said his years as Lake County Sheriff prepared him for a position as commissioner and that he had already put his life on the line for the county.

"If you want to be part of a winning team that will make a real difference in Lake County, vote for Bill Barron in June," he said.

Growth and infrastructure

Paul Maurer, a Big Arm Association member and the debate's moderator, asked questions drawn from e-mail and audience submissions.

All of the candidates supported planned growth and development. Some of candidates, like Larson, promised to be "pro-growth and pro-business." Other candidates, like Rubino, sounded more reluctant, but argued that it was impossible to stop growth.

"When I first moved back to Montana, 'plan' was a four-letter word," he said. If Lake County doesn't accept planned growth, he explained, unplanned development will be forced on them. Development is the "second-most litigated" issue for counties, he added, right behind personnel suits. Missoula was pushed into growth through litigation, and now Whitefish is suing Flathead County to pave the way for more development, he said.

Windham promised to balance growth with environmental concerns and agreed nothing was "going to stop people from coming." She strongly supported the Lake County growth policy, which she said is scheduled to expire in 2013.

Roads and maintenance issues sparked some exchange of ideas. Maurer said Lake County has 11,000 miles of roads and bridges to maintain and 19-year-old equipment maintaining it.

Boyce said the county didn't have enough money to take care of everything at once. "Can I promise you I'll fix every road in the county? No, I can't promise that," he said.

Windham said a county grant-writer could help find more money. She also promised to conduct a "needs-based assessment" to figure out what was most pressing.

Rubino planned to encourage more public involvement, pointing out that he and other residents on Meadow Lark Street had paid to have their own road chip-sealed. "If it's my road, you shouldn't have the entire county pay for it." He also recommended that the county buy or lease used equipment from Kicking Horse Job Corps at lower prices.

Barron said he would compare the cost of low interest loans to the cost of maintenance bills for old equipment. Sometimes, he said, the cost of loans could be less than the cost of repairs. He also said he expected the government to sell a lot of equipment used in Iraq when the war ended, and local counties might be able to pick up stuff on the cheap. He also that the different counties could share equipment.

"I think we just have to look at as many different ideas as we can," he said.

When Maurer asked about specific private improvements illegally built over county-owned right of way property, all the candidates agreed that a lawsuit to remedy the problem might be more trouble than it was worth.

"My gut feeling is to take a bulldozer and fix it," Larson announced. "But I guess my biggest question is, how much expense is it really worth?"

Program support

Maurer asked if the candidates would support adding more money to the rural firefighters' budgets. All of them agreed firefighting is an important service, but weren't sure if there was money available. Windham again spoke of a needs-based assessment and possible grants — including $20,000 potentially available from the Montana Department of Natural Resources.

Rubino was more blunt. "The thing about the commissioners is their ability to change things are very limited," he said, and one of the changes beyond their reach was probably adding more money to the firefighting budget. Boyce agreed, pointing to legal caps on the county budget.

The commissioners agreed recycling programs would be good if they didn't cost too much. Windham and Boyce both supported administering recycling through the county if it was cost-effective. Both of them pointed out that recycling cardboard could actually make money for the government, and it might save money when compared with dump fees.

Larson, Barron and Rubino supported private enterprise. Larson said the fluctuating metal price market made the investment too risky for the county, but praised the Folk Shop for its work. Rubino said that, every year, his wife saves cans and takes them down to California when she visits relatives. The trip usually earns her $100 to $200 and pays for her gas. If a private business adopted the practice, Rubino said, "there's money to be made," especially if the county could offer tax credits.

Maurer then asked the candidates where they would find more money for programs since the majority of Lake County is owned by untaxable organizations — the tribal, federal and state government. Boyce said he was familiar with the problem, because only seven percent of Mineral County's land is taxable. Barron said he supported changing the tax structure to acquisition-based property taxes — which are tied to the value of a property when it was purchased and have set increases that compensate for inflation. Though acquisition-based property taxes currently violate the Montana state constitution, Barron said he would like to see a constitutional amendment. He added he would also like to see Montana's legislators push for more payments in lieu of tax from the federal government, which is supposed to reimburse the county for untaxable land.

Windham said Maurer's question "assumes we need more funding." She argued that if the county was more careful and less involved in lawsuits, more money would inevitably be available for projects. She also thought that the county had unused grant potential.

Boyce said that, from his experience of grants, unless you read the fine print, grant requirements could outstrip the funding they provide.

"You've got to watch out for things because, in the long run, you may be paying more money than you get," he said.