Four finalists selected for commissioner role

After two rounds of interviews, Lincoln County commissioners have narrowed the pool of nine applicants for the Troy commissioner appointment down to four.

Jerry Bennett, Rhoda Cargill, Greg Larson and Larry Dolezal were selected for a followup interview on Wednesday, following their Tuesday interviews alongside applicants Matt Bowser, Tony Brown, Robert Cody, Craig Martin and Dan Burns. While outgoing Commissioner Ron Downey was part of the interview process for his replacement, the decision on who will take his place will be made by commissioners Tony Berget and Mike Cole.

Downey is planning to leave his position on Aug. 1 amid some controversy that he should have left the position 72 hours after he submitted a letter outlining his resignation plans to Clerk and Recorder Tammy Lauer on June 4. Downey also took part in questioning potential candidates for his role this week.

Libby resident D.C. Orr met with the commissioners last month regarding Downey’s planned resignation date of Aug. 1. Orr had sent a letter to the county, accusing Downey of holding the seat illegally.

Libby resident Dale Swapinski filed a formal complaint on July 11, challenging the legality of Downey’s post-dated retirement. The complaint alleges “post-dating an intended time is moot when a vacancy is created,” citing a 2005 Nebraska Supreme Court decision on a similar case that stated the resignation is effective when it is accepted by the county clerk and recorder.

Both Orr and Swapinski believe Downey’s resignation should take effect prior to Aug. 1, which would allow voters in Troy to decide Downey’s replacement. According to state law, vacancies on county commissions due to resignations after July 31 may be filled by an appointee of the remaining county commissioners.

Berget said the county is now reviewing the complaint filed by Swapinski. 

Downey said he was told by County Executive Assistant Bill Bischoff that it was fine for him to ask questions of the applicants because he had not created the questions. Montana Code Annotated 7-4-2106 states that the resigning member is not to participate filling the pending vacancy.

All nine applicants were given 15 questions on Tuesday that ranged from reasons why that applicant was interested in the position to balancing the needs of the Troy area with the needs of the whole county. Other questions included: “What business skills do you possess?” “What experience have you had with complicated budgets?” and “What do you feel are the three most important issues facing the county?”

Jerry Bennett, who is also a state representative, said he was interested in the position because of the high quality of life in Lincoln County and the challenges the county now faces. The most important issues facing the county were living wage jobs, education and the development of infrastructure.

The single most important skill he would bring to the position was leadership and his ability to handle stress and tough issues in a sensitive manner. Bennett also referred to his background as a business owner when asked about his business skills.

When asked about his experience with complicated budgets, Bennett replied: “The only difference between county and state budget is a couple of zeros.”

When asked how he would base his decisions, Bennett again referred back to being a business owner and said having integrity and owning up to mistakes was paramount.

“If you are wrong, admit you are wrong,” Bennett said. “Don’t just tell people what they want to hear.”

On Wednesday, Bennett was asked if there was an intention to keep both his state representative seat and his commissioner appointment, if chosen.

Bennett said he did not intend to hold both positions, which was a reversal from what he had said earlier this month. He has until Aug. 11 to remove his name from the ballot as state representative if he was selected as county commissioner.

Rhoda Cargill, said she was interested in the position because she had a long history of service in the U.S. Navy, as well as her roles as a mother and as a volunteer chairwoman of the Lincoln County Natural Resource Council.

Cargill said she believed the primary role of a county commissioner was multi-faceted, but was primarily to give the people in the district a voice. When asked what the three most important issues facing the county were, Cargill replied: Jobs, jobs, jobs.

A big problem was over-regulation at both a federal and state level, Cargill said. She said the problems the county faced were fundamental. It was important for the public to be informed so they did not feel disenfranchised.

Cargill also noted a split between north and south Lincoln county and said she would like to be part of an effort to dissolve the split.

“There is an incredible array of extraordinary people in this county,” she said. “The county has not been effectively able to tap that.”

She also suggested the commissioner meetings be recorded so the public could listen at their convenience and upgrade the county website to better showcase the area.

When asked about her experience with complicated budgets, Cargill said she had an ability to quickly learn.

In Wednesday’s follow-up interview – when applicants were asked for their thoughts on the county’s over-taxation error last year, and the primary duty they would have as overseeing the district road department, as well as ideas on revenue enhancement for the county – Cargill said her lack of knowledge in the road department didn’t reflect what it could be tomorrow. As far as revenue enhancements, Cargill suggested looking at the list of what is mandatory in county departments.

“If it is mandatory, it must be funded,” Cargill said. “I don’t think it is irresponsible to not fund what isn’t necessary.”

Cargill also suggested ways of making Lincoln County more of a destination for tourists, especially for sports events.

“This county has incredible potential...I would like to see Lincoln County on the map for something other than vermiculite,” Cargill said.

Former Troy commissioner Larry Dolezal said the most important issue facing the county was the management of public lands and the most important skill he would bring to the position was experience in civil engineering, land surveying and 12 years as a county commissioner.

“I am the only candidate who has been elected county-wide twice,” Dolezal said. “I have very specific knowledge and experience.”

Others would describe his leadership ability as “hard-working and dependable,” Dolezal said, referring to his letters of reference.

When asked what his experience was handling complicating budgets, Dolezal replied that he had done so during his time as commissioner while the county’s surplus was growing, though the situation had changed since then, he said.

On Wednesday Dolezal said he had overseen the district road projects before and had helped start a preventative road management program during his time as commissioner.

When asked about revenue enhancement for the county, Dolezal said it was important to protect funding through the federal Payment in Lieu of Taxes and Secure Rural Schools programs because it was the loss of the timber industry through the federal management policy that had caused that decline of timber revenue in the first place.

In a letter submitted with his application, Dolezal referred to felony theft charges against him regarding reimbursements he had received for travel and meals between January 1, 1997, and April 30, 1998, during his time as commissioner as part of a “highly publicized, malicious campaign against me based on false allegations in south Lincoln County.” The issue was not addressed by the commissioners at any time during both interviews.

The charges had been dismissed by a judge in 1999, primarily because the reimbursements for Dolezal’s personal travel and meals had been signed off on by the county. Dolezal wrote in a July 2, 2014, letter to the commissioners that he lost the 1998 election by 79 votes because of the charges  and that he was later found not guilty in District Court.

The county revoked the meal plan for commissioners 15 days after the charges were dropped.

On Wednesday night, when asked if the charges against Dolezal regarding misuse of reimbursements more than a decade ago would impact the commissioners’ decision, Berget said the commissioners “can’t not take those things into consideration” because the charges against Dolezal had been dropped.

“With each person, we take into account everything,” Berget said. However the 1998 court case was not necessarily “in the mix” of what was being considered as far as Dolezal’s background.

“For me, it is looking at who is the best candidate,” Berget said.

On Tuesday, applicant Greg Larson said he saw the commissioner role as a manager of the budget, first and foremost, as well as providing leadership to the county. The most important issues the county faced were the budget, jobs, the reconstruction of the Flower Creek Dam and the risk of a catastrophic fire, he said.

When asked what skills he would bring to the position, Larson said it would be his background in economic development as the Resource Conservation and Development coordinator in Libby from 1998 to 2005 and his knowledge of each county community. He also assisted the Chapel Cedar mill in Troy with securing grants and loans, and he has been a longtime board member with the Kootenai River Development Council.

“I have a passion for improving the area,” Larson said. “I am willing to put in the time.”

Previous business skills included his involvement in church projects, Larsen said. He said the county budget would be “a steep learning curve.”

Larsen said he believed the federal Secure Rural Schools funding was a “glorified welfare check” and said the county had been confined by federal and state policies because of the amount of public land in Lincoln County.

“East Montana is dealing with private land, and we are dealing with public land,” Larsen said. “We are starving to death, and that’s just not right.”

Commissioners Berget and Cole will be making the decision on the commissioner appointment by July 29.