Peck prepares for role as county commissioner

In this year’s election, Libby native Mark Peck unseated incumbent Tony Berget and defeated a third candidate to become the newest Lincoln County commissioner.

Peck, a relative newcomer to county politics, has been working hard during the past few months to get acquainted with the job before he officially takes office in January.

“I want to hit the ground running,” Peck said. “I’ve been trying to get to all the commission meetings and get up to speed. Getting up to speed is huge. These issues don’t wait.”

Peck’s wife Terry said she has grown accustomed to his long hours away from home. She said her husband even kept up with his duties around the house while he was on the campaign trail.

“I don’t believe in honey-do lists,” she said. “We have a shared list, and we both just take what we can.”

Terry Peck said, in her opinion, the voters made the right choice on Election Day.

“He’s a good leader who can make anyone play nice, even if they don’t like each other,” she said.

One of Mark Peck’s biggest issues is the county budget. With revenue decreasing and no indication that will change in the near future, he sees difficult choices ahead with regard to budget cuts.

“There’s no question we will have to cut unless something drastically turns around,” he said. “Most of the fluff is already gone. We’re all learning to do more with less.”

Peck said budget reductions will not be the only challenges ahead; maintaining a balanced budget also requires improving the revenue side of the equation.

Peck said he has been meeting with most of the county department heads as well as a number of elected officials since the election. He credited outgoing commissioner Berget for his assistance in the transition, “he’s being very helpful.”

As a commissioner, Peck will also serve as a liaison of sorts between the county and federal agencies such as the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Environmental Protection Agency.

Peck’s term will last six years, meaning he will likely be in office during the transition of the Libby Superfund site to the county and state from the EPA. In addition to the questions of long-term maintenance of the asbestos-contaminated sites, Peck will be expected to lead the county through the economic challenges that will arise when the EPA ceases large-scale cleanup activities. The EPA is responsible for roughly 100 jobs and annual spending in Libby of $9 million.

And then there are the legal implications.

“The citizens of Libby should not have to pay for anything that’s left here,” Peck said.

EPA has already indicated that not all of the asbestos will be removed prior to the end of the active cleanup phase, which is anticipated to end in three to five years. Some asbestos will be left behind in walls, attics and soil.

Peck said he is concerned about what will happen when a homeowner decides to remodel and knocks out a wall containing asbestos that was left behind. He doesn’t want to see the homeowner subjected to additional disposal costs imposed by institutional controls left upon the agency’s departure.

“There needs to be a good plan to maintain public health, but we also need to avoid negative impacts on property values,” he said. “We need to get out of this thing in a good place.”

One of the challenges, according to Peck, will be for everyone to learn their roles. In addition to Peck, Commissioner Greg Larson, who represents the Troy district, is also new. Larson was sworn into office in August 2014 to replace retiring Commissioner Ron Downey.

When asked what he is most looking forward to, Peck answered, “The people and the challenges. I wouldn’t trade my life here in Libby for anything. This town has given a lot to me and I want to give something back.”