Coast Guard vet hired as Flathead County administrator

On paper, Peter Melnick might not seem like the obvious choice to oversee all the public programs and services that Flathead County provides. He's spent his entire career in the Coast Guard and the Department of Homeland Security, piloting helicopters across the country before taking on leadership roles in Washington, D.C.

But Melnick, 46, is confident he can translate his nearly 26 years of military experience to meet the demands of local government. On Tuesday, the Flathead County commissioners hired him to replace County Administrator Mike Pence, who will retire at the end of May after 16 years in the position.

The administrator is the county's chief executive, responsible for overseeing a budget of nearly $100 million and serving as a liaison between the commissioners and various departments led by elected and appointed officials. Those include departments responsible for maintaining roads and bridges, providing public health services and operating the county landfill, the jail, the animal shelter and fairgrounds.

Melnick was one of four finalists selected from a pool of 67 applicants for the job. After a round of in-person interviews on March 29, the three Republican commissioners selected him over Elishia Hayes, Daniel Sabolsky and Pat Oman, all of whom have extensive local government experience.

"I think we had four great options," Commissioner Pam Holmquist said Tuesday. "It was just a matter of whittling that down."

MELNICK WILL officially start the job on June 7, with a starting salary of $128,000 and a guaranteed $3,000 raise after his first year. The commissioners also approved a onetime $7,000 moving allowance and a $400 monthly transportation stipend, in lieu of providing him a county vehicle.

Holmquist said she favored Melnick because he has ample leadership experience but no preconceived notions about how the county ought to be run.

"He felt that things were going very well in Flathead County, and I do, too," Holmquist said. "I think we have a good system set up. I'm not looking to change that system."

Commissioner Brad Abell echoed that, saying in a statement he "was impressed by Pete's passion, enthusiasm and willingness to learn from those who came before him."

Commissioner Randy Brodehl said Melnick's "quick perception" and responses to challenging questions stood out during his interview.

"He had that intuition about how to deal with specific issues, even though some of them he'd never had an opportunity to deal with in his past experiences," Brodehl said. "That was really important for me because the county commissioners' office is continually dealing with tough issues, and we needed somebody that could do that."

Brodehl said Melnick will be tasked with guiding the county "through unanticipated growth, through recovery from COVID at the same time, the unknowns of the border not being open," and even challenges stemming from the flow of visitors to Glacier National Park.

"He's going to have his hands full, managing what's going on here in our county," Brodehl said.

Melnick, a husband and father of six, said he and his family are ready to settle down in a place like the Flathead Valley, not only for the majestic scenery and outdoor recreation, but also because it's "a community of independent-minded, self-reliant people."

"I've moved all over the country, so this is just yet another move — hopefully a final move — and a move to an area that we want to call home," he said in a phone call Tuesday from his current residence in Maryland.

MELNICK GREW up in New Port Richey, Florida, and joined the Coast Guard Academy in Connecticut right after high school in 1992. He said he was inspired by his uncle, Bruce Melnick, who was the first Coast Guard aviator to become a NASA astronaut, serving aboard the space shuttle Discovery in 1990 and the Endeavor in 1992.

Pete Melnick played football and earned a bachelor's degree in government at the Coast Guard Academy, then earned a master's in liberal arts from Spring Hill College in Alabama and a master's in business administration from George Mason University in Virginia.

He's piloted helicopters around California and Alaska and served as a flight instructor in Alabama, logging more than 3,000 hours in the cockpit. He's also held Coast Guard positions in finance, public works, operations, communications and human resources. Most recently, he served as an adviser to the assistant secretary of the Department of Homeland Security.

"It is not a typical career path for a military member to join and lead a state or local type agency," Melnick said. "However, I do think that there are some good similarities there."

As he prepares to transition into his new job with Flathead County, he said he gained a lot of relevant experience during his two years as a deputy human resources director for the Coast Guard.

"I led a huge team of about 1,700 people that was geographically spread out across the country, and there were very diverse business lines," he said. He oversaw various HR functions such as payroll and recruiting, as well as an online exchange that provides market products to Coast Guard service members and veterans at discounted prices.

"I knew nothing about any of those business lines, but I was able to come in, and work with the team, and collaborate with the leaders of those different business lines and get up to speed," he said. "So even though I may not have experience in some of the business lines that Flathead County has, I do know that Mike Pence and the county commission have assembled a great team, that I intend to learn from and really collaborate with to help address those day-to-day challenges that the county sees."

While the commissioners were voting on his employment contract Tuesday, Melnick said his wife was in Flathead County looking for a house to buy. He'd like to live in Kalispell so he can walk to work at his new office.

"I'm excited to roll my sleeves up and get started," he said.

Reporter Chad Sokol can be reached at 758-4439 or csokol@dailyinterlake.com