Krueger, Scott have huge leads in county commissioner races

Flathead County voters appeared ready to keep an all-Republican slate of county commissioners in office in Tuesday’s elections, with Cal Scott and Gary Krueger holding sizable leads over their Democratic opponents.

Incumbent Scott was leading by a 61 to 39 percent margin over Gil Jordan, with about 24,000 absentee ballots remaining to be counted early Wednesday morning, according to early unofficial results from the Flathead County Election Department. Scott held almost a 4,000 vote lead.

Krueger held an even larger 73 to 27 percent lead over opponent Clara Mears-La-Chappelle, with a margin of more than 8,000 votes separating the two candidates. The winner will take office in January and replace retiring Commissioner Dale Lauman.

“It looks like it’s shaping up to go the way we hoped it would shape up, and right now we’ll just wait until we get final numbers,” Krueger said.

Scott, who was appointed interim District 1 commissioner earlier this year following the death of Jim Dupont, would continue on the job for two more years if elected over Jordan.

Scott, 68, ran on a platform of respectful land use and planning that preserves private property rights. He said that his broad background in real estate and business make him well-equipped to continue as a leader of county government.

His campaign was clouded by two personal issues: A 2009 bankruptcy that involved nearly $230,000 in unpaid debt and 22 credit cards, and a false statement made under oath about his education, in which he claimed to have an engineering degree from the University of Nevada but in fact only attended the school for three months.

Voters appeared willing to overlook those issues.

Jordan, 66, is director of The Museum at Central School in Kalispell. He campaigned as a fiscal conservative who could bring balance and moderation to county government.

“If all three commissioners represent the same political party, it seems a certainty that large segments of valley residents will not have a voice. I offer a moderate and moderating point of view that will bring some balance to the county commission,” Jordan said during the campaign.

Krueger’s sizable lead over Mears-LaChappelle in the general election was in contrast to his narrow victory in the Republican primary, when he won over Jay Scott by just 23 votes.

Krueger, 53, farms in the West Valley and developed a gravel-pit operation on his land that was opposed by many of his neighbors.

During the campaign, Krueger said he believes the county’s permitting process needs to be loosened up and accelerated to give prospective business owners more flexibility. He also said he feels zoning devalues property and said the county has been sued in too many cases, oftentimes because of contradictory language in zoning regulations or the growth policy.

Mears-LaChappelle, 60, also a longtime West Valley resident, campaigned on a quest to preserve open space and the special character of the Flathead Valley.

She said her many years of service as an emergency medical technician would give her a unique perspective in leading county government, and vowed to keep a close watch on any attempts at unrestrained expansion, including “lining our highways” with development.

“I have no personal agenda and nothing to gain,” Mears-LaChappelle said during the campaign. “We need to think of our children and grandchildren. If we do not turn this around, they will have nothing.”