Dupont starts with strong support
Inter Lake editorial
Congratulations to Jim Dupont on his decisive victory in the Flathead County commissioner's race.
Having been tested as sheriff for 16 years, he is no newcomer to county politics and has shown himself to be a popular, competent leader. Winning nearly 64 percent of the vote over Democrat Steve Qunell was certainly an indication of strong public support for Dupont and his pledged priorities of protecting property rights, maintaining county roads and public safety.
Those are indeed basic responsibilities for a commission that will be faced with the challenges of recent rapid growth and development in the county.
Dupont and the other two commissioners did get some fortunate help from voters on the public safety front, with a bond measure that will provide $6.9 million for construction of a new 911 dispatch center.
It was fortunate, because the measure passed (pending provisional ballots) by a mere 206 votes in an election with voters overwhelmingly rejecting two other local bond measures. Flathead County residents are obviously not in the mood to raise their own taxes in a time of economic downturn, so Dupont and the other commissioners should take note and ensure that the bond revenue is put to thrifty use.
The best benefit of the new call center is that it will streamline and consolidate four currently separate operations at the county and the cities of Whitefish, Columbia Falls and Kalispell. That alone will go a long way in providing improved public safety services.
A voter turnout of nearly 75 percent in Flathead County shows how important this general election was for local voters.
The Election Department processed an unprecedented number of absentee and early ballots - close to 20,000 by the time polls closed on Tuesday. And in the days leading up to the election, throngs of voters stood in line to vote early.
From what we observed, folks didn't seem to mind standing in line to exercise their right to vote. Election workers should be commended for the long hours they worked, ensuring that every voter was assisted. There were no major problems on Election Day, thanks to months of planning by the county's two election leaders: Clerk and Recorder Paula Robinson and Election Supervisor Monica Eisenzimer.
Extenuating circumstances certainly made this election higher profile than normal, with a national economic downturn, housing crisis and two wars weighing heavily on Americans. Perhaps this is what drove us to the polls in record numbers; perhaps it was a presidential race destined to make history.
We hope, though, that this kind of enthusiasm marks a renewed interest in the democratic process. If Tuesday's turnout is any indication, maybe we're finally realizing how important each vote is, and that as Americans, we're all in this together.