Commissioner candidates air views at debate
by Brent Shrum, Kootenai Valley Record
October 22, 2008
County commissioner candidates Tony Berget and Jerry Okonski answered questions on a variety of topics during a debate last Tuesday at the Memorial Center.
The event was sponsored by students in the Close Up program at Libby High School, who provided the questions and gave each candidate a limited time for answers and rebuttals.
In his opening statements, Berget pointed out that he has served as mayor of Libby since 1998 and has been actively involved in organizations including the Montana League of Cities and Towns, the Upper Columbia River Basin Economic Development Council, the Elks Lodge and the Libby Rotary Club. He said he has been to many meetings held by entities such as the Environmental Protection Agency and the Army Corps of Engineers that his opponent has not attended.
"I’ve been boots on the ground," Berget said. "I’ve been out there doing it everywhere I can."
Okonski, who is running a write-in campaign, opened by noting that he lost to Berget by 44 votes in a six-way Republican primary last spring. He added that he won four of the five Libby precincts, including the city of Libby.
Okonski said Lincoln County relies too heavily on federal grants and must find new solutions to its economic problems.
"I fear that with the status quo politicians of today, the easiest strategy is to tear down ideas rather than build them up," he said.
A summary of the candidates’ responses by topic follows:
Budgeting Skills
Berget pointed to his experience in city government. He said he believes both the city and the county have done well working with tight budgets. He added that he has also successfully managed several private business ventures.
Okonski said he has managed businesses in Chile and Canada as well as in Lincoln County. Maintaining those ventures required considerable strategizing, he said.
Noxious Weeds
Both candidates agreed that the county commissioners should continue to work with the county weed board to control the spread of weeds.
The Port Authority
Berget said it’s important to remember that the county’s port authority includes more than just the industrial park on the former Stimson mill site. He said the port authority exists to promote economic development countywide.
Okonski, who operates a log yard at the industrial park and is working with the port authority on a marketing study for wood products, called the facility "a gem" for the diversification of the county’s economy. The park can provide opportunities for value-added wood products as well as for high-tech businesses, he said.
Urban Interface Expansion
Okonski said he’s a member of a steering committee looking for solutions to reduce the threat of catastrophic wildfires in the urban interface, adding that he’s never seen Berget at any of the group’s meetings. He said specifications need to be developed to require property owners to reduce fire hazard on their land, and the county shouldn’t be expected to foot the bill.
Berget said his experience with the city has made him familiar with the costs associated with development in the urban interface. He said Lincoln County depends primarily on volunteers for emergency services like firefighting, ambulance and search and rescue, but that we can’t expect to go on forever with volunteers providing all those services.
Plum Creek Land
Berget said he’s concerned about the potential loss of public access to Forest Service lands posed by the sale of large parcels of Plum Creek land. He said he was at a meeting, not attended by Okonski, where the issue was discussed by the county commissioners along with representatives of Plum Creek and the Forest Service. The county needs to fight to maintain access to public lands, he said.
Okonski said Plum Creek has to answer to its stockholders and that private property rights need to be respected at the same time access to public land is maintained. He said it’s a "very complex problem," and that the county needs to look into potential solutions such as cost-share agreements. He added that the sale of Plum Creek land may also make a "community forest" project possible.
Secure Rural Schools & Community Self-Determination Act
The candidates were asked how they might deal with the potential loss of millions of dollars in federal funding when the current law – recently reauthorized for four years – expires during their term in office.
Okonski said the original law providing counties with a share of forest receipts worked well from 1908 until the 1990s, when the program was "pretty well truncated by politics." He said the county needs to diversify its economy, and that he would prefer to see many small business employing 20 to 30 people than one large one employing hundreds.
Berget said the law has played an important part in helping the county maintain its infrastructure. He said Lincoln County needs to work with other counties around the Northwest to ensure funding continues.
"We’re not here all by ourselves," he said. "There’s other communities in the same boat."
Parks and Recreation
Berget pointed to the problem of youth binge drinking in Lincoln County and said it’s important to have recreational opportunities available for kids to provide healthy alternatives. Amenities like tennis courts and soccer fields should be maintained, he said.
Okonski agreed with Berget on the problem of binge drinking and said localized recreational opportunities are needed in the communities of Libby, Troy and Eureka. Ways need to be found to encourage young people to get involved in their communities, he said.
County Roads
The candidates were asked if they would change the way the county’s road department is managed or funded.
Okonski said he believes the county’s road crews are very professional and do their job diligently. He said the department seems to have good equipment and techniques, and he doesn’t see the need for any major changes.
"Personnel-wise, I don’t think there’s much fat there," he said.
Berget said he would work with the road department and the other two commissioners to make sure the crews have good equipment, but that he wouldn’t tell them how to do their job.
"They’re dedicated employees, and they work really hard," he said.
Law Enforcement
The candidates were asked if they would change funding for law enforcement and public safety.
Berget said neither the city of Libby nor the county have seen any major budget increases despite residential growth, and that he’s familiar with trying to maintain services with limited funding. He suggested that there may be opportunities for the county to work together with the cities of Libby, Troy and Eureka to better coordinate those services.
The problem of budgeting is related to the economy, Okonski said. The answer is to find ways to improve the county’s infrastructure to attract more business development, he said.
"It’s all a cash flow problem," he said. "It’s all about the money. If we can get the money, we can provide the service better."
Working with Economic Development Groups
Okonski said he has always been involved with economic development. He said he worked on the Treasure Mountain ski hill project starting in 1990 and on a power plant project in Troy.
"That’s what I’m doing right now at the port authority," he said.
Berget said the county needs to work with businesses and state agencies to make Montana more attractive to private enterprise. He said he hates seeing log trucks taking Montana timber to Idaho, and he added that he’s worried by the trend to make state services regional rather than local.
Each candidate was given an opportunity to make a closing statement. Okonski said he has met with hundreds of people across the county during his campaign and heard their concerns. Many of those people appreciate his background and asked him to run against Berget as a write-in candidate, he said.
"Compare each of our achievements," he said. "I have more to offer to the people of Lincoln County."
Berget said he encourages young people to get involved and, like he did, to come back to their hometown after going out to get an education and some experience. He said he’s happy with the opportunities he has had in the community.
"I just think we live in a wonderful place," he said.
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Editor’s Note: See the October 20, 2008 edition of the Kootenai Valley Record for the printed version of this story. The Kootenai Valley Record publishes once a week, on Monday, in Libby, Montana. They are a locally owned community newspaper, located at 403 Mineral Avenue in Libby. For in-county and out-of-county subscription information, call 406-293-2424, or e-mail kvrecord@gmail.com.
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