Planning Board appointment debated

The Flathead County commissioners voted 2-1 Thursday to appoint engineer and surveyor Jeff Larsen to the county planning board - with one commissioner voicing qualms about potential conflicts of interest.

Commissioners Jim Dupont and Dale Lauman cited Larsen's seven years as a Planning Board member from 1999 to 2006, saying his past experience prompted their decision to appoint him. During that stint, Larsen helped put together the county's growth policy.

Currently, Larsen is on a state government task force to rewrite Montana's standards for subsurface water treatment. He also is on a county subcommittee that is reviewing and revising the county's road standards.

Commissioner Joe Brenneman, who voted against the appointment, said he did not oppose Larsen personally.

But Brenneman said he was concerned that Larsen has represented individual builders and developers in the past as an engineer and surveyor - the same companies that might show up again before the Planning Board.

Larsen said similar concerns have faced Planning Board members for years. "The only reason for a conflict of interest is when a person has a financial interest in it," Larsen said, saying he would recuse himself in those situations.

In 2006, Larsen did asbstain from voting on the Riverdale Neighborhood Plan - mainly because some people involved were his friends.

Last December, Brenneman raised similar objections and was the lone opponent of a 2-1 vote to appoint to the board George Culpepper Jr., who is government affairs director for the Flathead Building Association.

Former Planning Board member Don Hines raised similar questions about a potential conflict of interest with Culpepper in February.

Chief Deputy County Attorney Jonathan Smith told The Daily Inter Lake in February that state law did not cite Culpepper's circumstances as a conflict of interest.

Culpepper has said he is on the board as a private citizen and not as the Flathead Building Association's lobbyist.

Culpepper said he would recuse himself if any building association members or the association itself goes before the Planning Board.

Larsen is a member of the Flathead Building Association as well as several other professional groups.

He joined the building association in the past year as a result of economic hard times spurring his interest in making a financial contribution on some matters. He described himself as not active in the association's affairs.

The association represents roughly 360 businesses. One of the association's missions is to lobby local, state and federal governments on legislative and regulatory issues.

Brenneman wanted to appoint Penny Thompson, a retired Internal Revenue Service manager.

He noted that the board's opening was created by the recent resignation of Rita Hall, one of two women on the nine-member board. He proposed appointing Thompson to promote diversification on the board.

However, Dupont said: "Sex plays no [role] in the Planning Board's decisions."

Other people seeking the appointment were Charles Lapp, Donald Peters and Greg Stevens. Stevens and Lapp are former Planning Board members.