Brenneman tough act to follow

It’s not easy being a Democrat in Flathead County. Joe Brenneman can attest to that.

The outgoing county commissioner jokingly lamented this week in a Daily Inter Lake interview that in this year’s election, “Daffy Duck, running as a Republican, likely would have beaten me.” He lost the election, but not his sense of humor.

Brenneman’s conservative opponents were quick to brand him early on as a liberal who favored environmental concerns over property rights. He was vilified in online comments and letters to the editor, often wrongfully so, but shrugged it off because criticism is one of those things inherent to being a commissioner.

As he aptly observed: “It doesn’t take bravery to be a bully, but it takes tremendous courage to take a stand against one.”

Here’s what Flathead County residents should know and remember about the fourth-generation Creston farmer that has served this county for the past six years:

Brenneman arguably has been one of the hardest-working Flathead County commissioners in recent memory. He did his homework and then some, from the extra-credit work of going to Helena to make sure Flathead County got its fair share of grant money and state assistance, to going the distance to help preserve the Flathead’s water quality.

Even though his days often begin at 2:30 a.m. for the first round of milking at his dairy, Brenneman approached his commission work with freshness and vigor, asking the tough questions when needed and giving credit where credit was due. He was organized, well-informed and used his leadership skills to collaborate with others to solve problems.

Brenneman took a conservative approach to many aspects of county government. He pushed for consolidation to streamline county operations and worked hard to keep the county coffers in good shape. Not everyone liked his approach to water-quality issues, including sometimes this newspaper, but his motives were always above reproach.

Even in the most controversial decisions of his tenure — to vote against the North Shore Ranch subdivision, and then to vote against settling the ensuing lawsuit — Brenneman showed himself to be principled, whether you agreed with those principles or not.

We do concur with Brenneman’s assertion that he’s leaving county government in much better shape than he found it six years ago. We thank him for his public service and wish him well in the next chapter of his life.