Zoning a key issue at county forum

Flathead County commissioner candidates for Districts 1 and 3 weighed in on zoning, neighborhood plans and even the United Nations Agenda 21 plan for sustainable development as they responded to questions during a forum on Tuesday.

The well-attended event at Flathead Valley Community College was the last in a series of candidate forums sponsored by the Daily Inter Lake.

District 1 candidates Gil Jordan, 66, a Democrat, and interim Commissioner Cal Scott, 68, a Republican, are vying for the remaining two years of Jim Dupont’s term. Dupont died in March.

In District 3 two West Valley hopefuls — Democrat Clara Mears-LaChappelle, 60, and Republican Gary Krueger, 53 — are competing for the seat being vacated by retiring Commissioner Dale Lauman.

Responding to a question about how zoning fits into their vision of future planning for Flathead County, all of the candidates generally agreed it’s an important part of  the planning process. But there were differing opinions about its application.

Jordan said he favors using zoning for cluster development so businesses don’t end up in farm fields or along highways.

“Zoning is a tool. If it’s poorly used it has poor results,” Jordan said. “If it’s fairly used it helps the environment if it’s used in a reasonable and planned way.”

Scott cautioned that “reasonable” is a subjective term that could lead to problems unless there’s a clearly stated vision for zoning.

Mears-LaChappelle called zoning an important tool and said neighborhood plans need to remain intact; otherwise industrial parks will end up in residential areas.

Krueger has a slightly different take on zoning. He believes it can pit neighbor against neighbor.

“Zoning often gets used as a weapon,” Krueger said. “We’ve got to be very careful how we use zoning. We need to be business-friendly so they [businesses] can develop in open areas.”

Krueger cited West Valley as an example of a bedroom community that would benefit from zoning that allowed more businesses to locate in that area. It would increase West Valley’s tax base and help West Valley School, he added.

Candidates also were asked to discuss how they feel about neighborhood plans.

Jordan said those plans “absolutely” are an effective planning tool.

“It’s all about local; they [the neighbors in a given area] know what’s going on in the community,” he said. “If they make a recommendation to the commissioners, they need to really listen” to those neighbors.

Scott said the county’s current neighborhood plans are “in dire need of updating.” When he served on the county Planning Board, he said, he reached out to the Marion community about forming a neighborhood plan, but was plainly told those residents weren’t interested.

Krueger agreed some plans need updating. The West Valley Neighborhood Plan is 16 to 17 years old and was written before cellphones came into heavy use. There’s nothing in that plan about where to put cell towers.

Mears-LaChappelle said she’s a firm believer in neighborhood plans to protect citizens in their communities.

Krueger pointed out in his opening statement that “I stand for property rights and I stand for jobs,” and made several references to how he would work to create jobs here.

Scott noted, however, that county government does not create jobs; rather it can adopt policies that will foster entrepreneurial growth.

Candidates were asked whether they would give equal weight to two advocacy groups on opposite ends of the planning spectrum: the American Dream Montana property rights group and Citizens for a Better Flathead, which adheres to the “smart growth” philosophy for land-use planning.

“Thank God for free speech,” Krueger said, acknowledging the groups’ very different objectives. “Where we end up is somewhere in the middle.”

Mears-LaChappelle said both groups are trying to protect the valley, and that as a county commissioner she would listen to both sides. She said she knows what it’s like to feel as if you don’t have a voice in local issues.

Scott, too, said he’d listen to everyone who addresses the commission. Political affiliations have nothing to do with being a commissioner, he said.

Jordan said a hallmark of being a good commissioner is “listening to people and showing people respect.” He noted that one of the biggest challenges facing commissioner candidates is the polarization and breakdown in meaningful conversation.

“People make outrageous statements that aren’t true,” he said, referring to letters to the editor and online comments. “They’re all based on someone’s speculation. That’s the biggest problem in terms of working together.”

When Krueger asked Jordan why he had signed a recent Citizens for a Better Flathead petition about county growth policy revisions, Jordan said that as a citizen, “I think I still have the right to express my views.”

Jordan acknowledged commissioners have a duty to be neutral when listening to advocacy groups, but until he’s elected he said he shouldn’t be restricted in expressing his opinions.

Scott said during his six months as interim commissioner he’s had the chance to interact with both American Dream and Citizens. He pointed to the recent growth policy revisions that got comments from both sides. In the end, the commissioners removed many layers of redundancy, he said.

Mears-LaChappelle chided the adoption of the updated growth policy and its new property rights bill of rights, saying “the developer now has the trump card.”

A couple of audience members wanted to know where the candidates stood on Agenda 21, a voluntary plan of the United Nations that strives for sustainable development and is an action agenda that can be executed at the local level if desired. Some activists have claimed Agenda 21 is a conspiracy by the United Nations to deprive individuals of property rights.

Scott said the county can’t stick its head in the sand and alluded to mandates for forest land that force the county to protect “a resource we can’t utilize.”

Jordan said he’d need to see the documentation that Agenda 21 is a threat, but stressed that he would “protect the people of the county if they’re threatened.”

The audience lobbed a couple of personal questions directed at one candidate.

In light of Scott’s opening statement in which he talked about he worked to trim the county budget, one man asked Scott to explain why he had to file for bankruptcy and had 22 credit cards. 

Scott reiterated details that have been laid out in recent Inter Lake articles, saying he lost investments during the recession and that he wasn’t late on any payments when he sought protection through bankruptcy. He said he hasn’t had a credit card for the last 3 1/2 years and vowed he would one day pay everyone back for what he owed.

Another audience member asked how the candidates stand on public safety, referring to an incident a few years ago when Mears-LaChappelle passed a truck on a West Valley road and slammed on her brakes to prove the point that truck traffic was going too fast in the area.

Mears-LaChappelle said after her pleas to the trucking company fell on deaf ears and her daughter and grandchildren were forced off the road one day by a speeding gravel truck, she’s had enough and needed to prove a point.

Features editor Lynnette Hintze may be reached at 758-4421 or by e-mail at lhintze@dailyinterlake.com.