Time to end planning fight
Flathead County Planning Director Jeff Harris said all along that he and his staff had nothing to hide when the county embarked six months ago on a third-party investigation of wide-ranging allegations against the Planning Office.
Results of the lengthy probe affirmed Harris’ contention, clearing him and his staff of any wrongdoing. The county paid local private-eye Ike Eisentraut $10,000 to look into all kinds of accusations ranging from illegally waiving zoning fees to extortion and illegally destroying public records.
Were mistakes made? Yes, Eisentraut acknowledged. There were instances where Harris “could have possibly had a better performance.” But none of the missteps were done with “viciousness or malice,” he further stated. In other words, to err is human.
Commissioner Joe Brenneman was quick to use the report to discredit the American Dream Montana property-rights group that made many of the allegations. But American Dream members contend the report is incomplete, even “a work of fiction” because some of their concerns weren’t addressed.
Folks, it’s time to move on. To beat this horse to death any further seems counterproductive.
This kind of investigation was unusual for the county and something the commissioners don’t expect to repeat, thank goodness. Who really can say whether it was worth 10 grand of taxpayer money?
What we can say, and what’s worth repeating time and time again, is that the only way we can go forward in these kinds of contentious situations is to work toward common ground with mutual respect.
SOMETIMES it takes a tragedy to remind us of the simple precautions we all should take in life.
That tragedy occurred last week when a Columbia Falls-area couple and their teenage son — Jim, Wanda and Jamie Barry — perished of smoke inhalation in a fire at their home.
From the ashes of this terrible event come a lesson for homeowners everywhere: Make sure your smoke detectors are working.
There were smoke detectors in the bedrooms and hallway of the Barry house, but they didn’t have batteries.
Functioning smoke detectors might have helped them survive. We urge everyone to take this dreadful lesson to heart.
CONTINUITY with competence is something to be appreciated, and George Dennison provided it as the longest-serving president of the University of Montana in the school’s history.
After 20 years at UM, Dennison announced this week that he is retiring.
Dennison is a Flathead Valley product, schooled and raised here. The 1953 Flathead County High School graduate led the university through a variety of challenges and improvements. The length of his tenure speaks to a job well done.