Whitefish man announces campaign for sheriff

Businessman John Weaver, 47, touts experience in criminal justice

John Weaver of Whitefish announced his candidacy Tuesday for Flathead County sheriff/coroner.

Weaver, 47, is running as a Republican.

He is the general manager of Rocky Mountain Builders.

Among the issues he plans to address are the need for more jail space and alternatives to incarceration, the effects of methamphetamine, and arrest warrants that pile up because the jail has no room to house more inmates.

"I can make a significant contribution because of my experience," Weaver said.

He moved to Whitefish in 1994 after a career in criminal-justice work. Previous jobs include firefighting in New York; patrol, detention and dispatch work for the Johnson County Sheriff's Office in Missouri; and working for the U.S. Department of Justice. He has worked in prison facilities in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Washington, D.C.

Weaver said he worked in a federal witness security program, helped start a 1,500-bed prison, and forged a high-intensity supervision program for paroled inmates.

After moving to Montana, he operated a small business. For five years he was president and chief executive officer of Hope Ranch, a residential treatment center north of Whitefish for troubled teenage girls.

He serves as an adjunct instructor at Flathead Valley Community College, teaching police organization and behavior, criminal procedure and corrections.

Weaver said he is a member of the jail planning committee, the Kalispell Police Advisory Council and county 911 board.

He and his wife, Karen, have four sons and are involved in community and church activities.

Sheriff Jim Dupont does not plan to run for re-election after serving four terms.

"I want to be the one who takes the baton from Jim and take it to the next level," Weaver said.