Fallon plans to apply volunteer, financial experience to county spot

EDITOR'S NOTE: This is the first of four articles previewing the candidates for the Flathead County Commission. The articles will run in alphabetical order through the remainder of the week.

Jack Fallon is looking to parlay his decades of community involvement into a seat on the Flathead County Commission.

The 68-year-old has served on the Evergreen Water and Sewer Board, the Evergreen Fire District Board and the Kalispell School District Board while volunteering with youth and adult recreation leagues.

“This is an extension of what I’ve been doing for 35-plus years,” Fallon said. “The knowledge I’ve gained serving on boards across state laws, county practices, county departments and understanding the dynamics of the community seem to fit.”

Fallon is one of three challengers facing incumbent County Commissioner Pam Holmquist in the Republican primary election on June 7. Brian Friess and Jason Parce are also running in the election.

No Democrats filed to run for the District 2 commission seat, which covers the central and southeastern area of the county.

In addition to the experience he’s gained serving on various boards, Fallon plans to use his knowledge from his career in financial planning and investments when it comes to dealing with the county.

As the fastest growing county in the state, commissioners will undoubtedly face tough decisions in the coming years in terms of planning and zoning, and determining how to provide necessary services.

Fallon said much of that growth is occurring in the unincorporated areas of the county and that means ensuring clean water, proper sewer service and open space during the planning process. He says that growth is happening, but how to address it is not currently under discussion.

“People come here for the open space, the clean air, the clean water,” he said. “But growth is here, and while I don’t think any one person has the magical answer it needs to be discussed and talked about.”

In terms of dealing with the county budget while taking into consideration the growing population, Fallon says it’s important to remember that county personnel serve in a customer service capacity, providing services to the public.

“The county departments are lean,” he said. “I don’t see where it would be reasonable to cut budgets. When the taxpayer has to wait in line for two hours that’s being disrespectful to the taxpayer.”

“I’m sure there are some areas where we could find something that needs to be reduced, but the question is whether it’s really reasonable and consistent and are you being fair and reasonable with everybody,” he added. “Are you being truly respectful of those taxpayers who are using those services?”

One area where the county could be generating funds for necessary operations is through implementing a local option tax on marijuana sales, Fallon said, and he would push to place the issue on a ballot for county voters to decide.

“It’s a user tax,” he said. “How can you ignore the funding opportunities?”

Many Flathead Valley businesses say they’re facing a worker shortage in part due to a lack of affordable housing here. Fallon says one of the solutions to providing affordable housing is ensuring density through subdivisions even in the county. He points out that the population in the county is greater than that in its three municipalities.

“Zoning is a tool that can be used to direct density and that’s where we will get affordable housing,” he said. “Some of the affordable housing has to come from the county. You can have density in the county just as you have in the municipalities, but you just have to understand where is the best place to have it.”

For years, the county has anticipated the need to construct a new jail facility. Fallon says a new facility is a priority but wants to discuss location. He notes that if the jail facility is located away from the courthouse then it could make transportation of prisoners an issue, but it also may not make sense to expand the jail in its current location.

“The jail is overcrowded and it needs to be addressed,” he said.

In terms of appointing individuals to serve on county boards, including the ImagineIF library board of trustees, Fallon says he would open that process up to the public. He says there needs to be vetting with a series of questions asked to those applicants, followed by public comment and then deliberation by the commissioners.

“Right now you have no idea what was discussed and what the commissioners liked and disliked about the candidates,” he said. “That could make a world of difference when it comes to who is appointed.”

Commissioners in the past have said they would be unwilling to own any library building while the ImagineIF Library Foundation is working to donate a building to the county for use as the Bigfork library branch.

Fallon says he would want to explore the costs of taking on a new building before agreeing to the expenses but also points to public-private partnerships that have been used successfully in the valley to create recreation facilities, saying that concept could apply to a library building.

“There are many examples when a private entity has successfully built things and turned it over to a public entity, but the public entity has not had to subsidize the cost of those,” he said. “We have to look at what has existed already and see if it works.”

In terms of dealing with public health, Fallon says he can see the pros and cons of the county commissioners weighing in on such decisions.

“I believe people should direct their own medical requirements,” he said.

Fallon is critical of county commissioners, saying they’ve ignored areas of the county with denser populations like Evergreen. Specifically, he says the community received pushback when it wanted the county to support efforts to construct sidewalks.

The issue extends to other areas of the county with more populations like Somers, Lakeside, Hungry Horse and Coram.

“How do you make sure that those areas that have some form of density are being heard by the county commissioners?” he asked.

Features Editor Heidi Desch may be reached at 758-4421 or hdesch@dailyinterlake.com.

Age: 68

Family: Wife Maryruth, three grown children and grandchildren

Occupation: Finance

Background/community involvement: Soccer referee and instructor, youth and adult hockey referee, Evergreen Water and Sewer Board, Kalispell School Board of Trustees, Evergreen Fire District Board

Website/email: https://fallonforflathead.com/