Flathead County Commission: Abell wants county to grow responsibly, protect resources

Brad Abell wants to help protect the Flathead Valley for future generations.

Abell is the Republican candidate for the Flathead County Commission District 1 seat held by outgoing Commissioner Phil Mitchell. Both he and his Democratic challenger Kristen Larson are newcomers to local politics.

“I want to see a Flathead Valley where my kids and grandkids can continue to live and afford to own a home in,” he said.

Growing up in Brown’s Meadow, south of Kila, Abell developed a love of the outdoors and agriculture, leading him to spend 10 years working at various ranches in Montana after his graduation from Flathead High School in 1977.

Abell began his career in the timber industry in 1988, first at a small independent mill and finally at Plum Creek, now Weyerhaeuser, where he’s been for the past 30 years. While there, Abell worked his way up from laborer to heavy equipment operator at the medium-density fiberboard plant.

Abell now lives outside Columbia Falls with his wife Aleta and son Gabriel. He also has three grown daughters, Rebecca, Jennifer and Jessica and a son, Drew, who does not live at home.

Having developed three rental properties in Columbia Falls to help provide affordable housing, Abell feels that growth is the most important issue facing the county today. Part of dealing with that growth are the zoning decisions that decide the future use of land throughout the area.

“I think zoning is a good thing, if it is done responsibly,” he said. “On a case-by-case basis, I can see there are several unzoned areas in the county right now that need to be zoned. I don’t think all the parcels in the county need to be zoned, though. Landowners need to have a say in that process.”

While there have been some contentious zoning issues before the commissioners in recent years, Abell said he believes the county has done a good job weighing the rights of property owners against the ongoing need for development.

“I’m not real familiar with everything that is going on, but from what I see, I think that most zoning issues have been handled appropriately. I’m sure they are not all perfect, but nothing is done 100 percent right. As a whole, I think we have done a pretty good job in the valley,” Abell said. “You have to look and see how the land is already being used. If you have a highway corridor that has a lot of commercial activity on it already, I don’t think you can prevent zoning for more commercial use as it grows. You have to look at it on a case-by-case basis and keep the wishes of the surrounding property owners in mind.”

When it comes to industrial areas, Abell said keeping them away from residential areas is important, but continued growth inevitably leads to residential areas being built near existing industrial sites.

“The industrial areas need to be started away from the residential areas, but keeping the residential areas away from industrial areas that already exist is tough. It is becoming harder and harder to keep the two areas separated,” he said. “I don’t think we should put gravel pits and industrial areas in the middle of residential areas, but it seems the residential areas crowd right up against these industrial areas. When that happens, I don’t think we should do away with the industrial areas. That’s a personal choice that people have made to move in beside those areas.”

With continued residential growth come a large number of new septic systems and the problems they can pose for possible contamination of surrounding groundwater, but those are issues that Abell feels the county’s Environmental Health Department can learn to deal with on a case-by-case basis.

“Our septic systems are well-designed and much better now than they were 10 to 15 years ago, but we need to be utilizing our community sewer systems as much as possible to keep our groundwater as clean as possible,” he said. “I think we will have problems with it as the valley continues to grow, but I think we can be proactive and learn to solve problems as they arise.”

When it comes to the county’s plan to build a new jail, Abell is in favor of both a new jail and drug treatment and rehabilitation center, if the county plans ahead and puts aside money for the projects in the upcoming years.

“From what I understand, our needs for a new jail are 10 to 15 years down the road, but right now we have to plan to make sure we put some money away to make sure we are not facing a hundred million dollar bond when we are ready to build. We have to plan for the future,” he said. “Our corrections facilities also can’t be all for incarceration. People who have a drug or alcohol problem need support to overcome what they are facing. Just locking someone away just leads to repeat offenders that come back into the system again and again. For those that are willing to change their lives, we need to be able to offer them that option.”

While there are many issues facing the county today, Abell contends that growth is the most pressing concern and should be kept in mind in all county decisions.

“I think we need growth to continue in the valley. If we are not growing, then we are dying. I grew up here and I have seen a lot of change, but we can’t turn back the hands of time. Moving forward, we have to make sure we grow responsibly and keep our resources protected,” he said. “I don’t think we are going to stop the growth in the valley, as much as we would all like it to. The bottom line is that we need it for our economy, but there needs to be a balance between growth and protecting what we have here.”

Reporter Jeremy Weber may be reached at 758-4446 or jweber@dailyinterlake.com.

Flathead County Commission District 1

Brad Abell

Age: 61

Occupation: Heavy equipment operator for Weyerhaeuser

Family: Wife Aleta and six children, Rebecca, Isaac, Jennifer, Jessica, Drew and Gabriel

Background: 1977 Flathead High School graduate; in 1988 started career in timber industry, first at a small independent mill and finally at Plum Creek/Weyerhaeuser.

Contact: www.abellforcommissioner.com