Meet Libby City Council candidate Zach McNew

Name: Zach McNew

Age: 50

Family: Wife Tracy McNew and daughter Riley McNew

Occupation: Business Builder and Entrepreneur

Community involvement: Since moving back to my hometown in 2009, I have been involved in several community groups and projects.  I was part of the Troy Parks are Rec Board, where I was responsible for running the swimming lessons program.  Also while with the board I was able to secure funding for the exercise trail equipment that circles the community at the airport walking trail.  While serving on the CARD Foundation board for 10 years I was part of the group that started the Big Sky Bash, a great community event that brings top-named talent to our community.  As a long-time Rotarian, I have been involved in numerous community projects like the Splash Pad at Fireman Park, the Fishing Pond and adding Community Restrooms.

In the past year, the city has had to rebuild its staff on the police force and at the wastewater treatment plant. What would you do to prevent this type of employee turnover in the future?

In order to answer this question I think it is important to understand city government and how it works. City government consists of three branches which include:

Executive Branch

The mayor is the head of the executive branch and is the highest-ranking official in the city government. They are responsible for implementing and enforcing city laws and policies. The mayor has the authority to appoint department heads and represent the city in various capacities. The City Administrator is also part of the Executive Branch and as a full-time employee is responsible for much of the action taken by this branch including day-to-day management. This is because the mayor’s position is not considered a full-time job and is not paid as such.
Legislative Branch
The city council is the legislative branch of city government. It is responsible for creating and passing city laws and ordinances. They debate and vote on various issues, including the city budget, zoning regulations, and other important matters. 


Judicial Branch

The judicial branch at the city level is the municipal court system. They may also handle traffic violations, small claims and other legal matters specific to the city. 
These branches work together to govern the city and provide services to its residents. The executive branch carries out the policies and laws passed by the legislative branch and the judicial branch ensures that the city's laws are enforced and that disputes are resolved within the framework of those laws. 

Keeping that in mind, the council is not part of the day-to-day management of the city and does not have access to confidential employee files or is responsible for the management of these departments.   

To get back to your question, I would say that leadership is reflected from the top down and the citizens of Libby as well as the council should look at the qualifications and leadership abilities of our City Administrator if they are unhappy with the situation. This is the position that works with city entities including the police and water treatment plant employees. This should be welcomed with professional, respectful, honest and transparent dialogue which is expected and important for all branches of government.  

What will you do to make this community more livable?

Livability is a measure of quality of life and includes things like access to clean transportation, healthcare, education, recreation and affordable housing. These are not easy to influence, but to do so, it's crucial for local leaders, residents, and organizations to work together to address these aspects based on the specific needs and priorities of their community. Community engagement and collaboration are key to achieving positive change and improving the overall quality of life for everyone. I will do my best to encourage cooperation and conversations to move us in this direction. My community service focus has a track record of making these types of improvements and I am currently working to enhance the city park near the Libby Police Station. Even small changes are a step in the right direction and added up, they can have a large impact on quality of life in our community.  

Do you have any solutions for creating more affordable housing?

Creating affordable housing within the city is very difficult. It is not something that the city can do itself, it is a task for developers. Unfortunately, there is very little land left within city limits to build on. The city can work in conjunction with nonprofits, the county and other entities to create an environment favorable for affordable housing development, but in order to encourage affordable housing within the city, we would need to expand city limits. This would mean expanding its water and sewer lines and annexing new communities into the city. This will make development more affordable for developers in the community.  Last year, when the topic of annexation came up there was a lot of community pushback. We as a community need to come together to discuss this and decide what we want our city to look like. This will take honest clear communication, cooperation and compromises.  

My wife Tracy and I have also invested heavily in quality affordable housing in Libby. We have purchased several older buildings and renovated them while also keeping rents in these units affordable. We recently purchased the old hotel at Pioneer Junction and are in the process of converting it to affordable housing apartments. 

What other issues should the city address?

The city should address creative ways to raise funds for public utility projects. The city water system needs to be updated so that we can look at reducing the cost the city has to charge for water service to its citizens. Encouraging business growth and job creation can boost our economy, so we also need to look at ways we can provide incentives to attract businesses or support local entrepreneurship. Encouraging civic participation and engaging with residents in decision-making processes is also an important issue because city government is small and if we don’t hear from citizens we won’t fully understand their perspectives and priorities. City councilors are here to represent the people of Libby so please reach out to us if you have any questions or concerns.