Candidates discuss affordable housing, new jail in virtual forum

Three of the four candidates for Flathead County commissioner made their case in a Wednesday morning virtual forum hosted by Flathead Area Young Professionals.

Republican candidates Tony Brockman and Elliot Adams and Democratic candidate Kristen Larson were present, while Republican Brad Abell was unable to attend. The new county commissioner will take the District 1 seat held by commissioner Phil Mitchell, who is not seeking re-election. District 1 includes the northern portion of Flathead County.

Brockman, a content manager at Sky Vault media, touted his community involvement and role on the board of the Flathead County Economic Development Authority. He said he played a role in developing the Kalispell Core Area Development Project, which he called “one of the most transformational projects in our community’s history.”

Brockman said he would work on ways to diversity the economy of the Flathead Valley, so it is not focused as much on tourism, especially with the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on the tourism industry.

Adams, who works in construction and serves on the Flathead County Planning Board, said one of his highest priorities is public safety. Regarding a new county jail, he commented, “I know we’re gonna need to get that at some point.”

He added his other main priority is protecting private-property rights, and said his role on the Planning Board has given him a good grasp of land-use decisions in the county.

Larson, who is running unopposed in the Democratic primary, said she wants to see more good-paying manufacturing jobs in the Flathead, especially as a way to keep people in the area.

“We have an affordable housing crisis,” Larson said. “We’re pushing out a lot of our workers because they can’t afford to be here.”

Affordable housing was brought up multiple times during the forum.

Adams said regulations on developers are playing a large role in increasing the price of property and housing. “Any time you add regulations, costs go up,” he said, adding “we’ve only got so much land, we can’t make any more land.”

Brockman said higher-density, taller buildings would do a lot to add affordable housing, while the commissioners “have to look at ways to actually increase wages.” He said the commissioners can pool their resources to help “retain employers of choice” in the valley.

Adams called for fostering a more business-friendly, free-market environment to help drive jobs to Flathead County. “I think people often look to government as the answer to the problem,” he said.

A new county jail was another topic of interest during the forum. Adams said the county needs to be setting as much money as it can aside for a new jail, as opposed to using that money to expand or build a new library.

“There’s only so much money and you’ve got so many projects,” he said. Adams said that while a new jail is approximately 10 years down the road, “we need to be using that time really wisely” by saving money and getting ahead of the issue.

Brockman agreed the county will need a new jail, which he said it will cost around $75 million. He called on the county commissioners to solicit more public input, “pitch a plan and present it honestly” to the taxpayers.

“If the citizens want it, it’s going to mean a tax increase,” Brockman said.

Larson said she is not in favor of raising taxes, and said “when it comes to tough decisions like the jail, we need to put it to a vote.”

Brockman advocated for better communication with the public, including moving the commissioners’ meetings to more accessible times and bringing video capabilities to the meetings.

Adams said he would do more talking with the community and increase the communication efforts of the commissioners’ office.

“Like any kind of relationship,” he said, “if you don’t have communication you’re going to have problems.”

On the topic of mental health, Larson said she is concerned about mental health coming out of the pandemic and said many would need mental-health services in the near future. She said the commissioners’ office needs to focus on those services.

Brockman, who is on Sheriff Brian Heino’s Citizens’ Advisory Board, said local law enforcement “will tell you a lot of criminals go to jail to receive mental-health care.

“That’s no way to receive mental-health care,” he said, adding that as a commissioner he would be willing to work with anyone to help solve this issue.

Answering a question about infrastructure needs, Adams said the two most pressing needs are a new building for the Department of Motor Vehicles and a new county jail. However, he is concerned about a decline in county revenue if property taxes decrease as a result of decreased property values following the pandemic.

Brockman said he would work with the state “on trying to speed infrastructure projects along” and promised no more “Band-Aid” solutions.

Larson said she would focus on road infrastructure.

Ballots for the all-mail primary election are currently being mailed to registered voters, with June 2 the official date for the primary election. The general election is Nov. 3.

Reporter Colin Gaiser may be reached at cgaiser@dailyinterlake.com