Missoula County Commissioner and Justice of the Peace Candidates Share Their Positions

SEELEY LAKE - The Seeley Lake Community Council hosted two candidate forums, Sept. 19 and Sept. 29, at the Seeley Lake Community Hall. They also hosted the Justice of the Peace candidates at their Oct. 10 meeting. Candidates for state and local races answered questions from moderator and Council Chair Klaus von Sutterheim and the audience.

All candidates that appear on the ballot were invited.

This week the Pathfinder features the candidates for Missoula County Commissioner and Justice of the Peace. Visit http://www.seeleylake.com for coverage of the Governor/Lieutenant Governor; U.S. Congress; Secretary of State; State Attorney General; Montana Supreme Court; State Auditor; Superintendent of Public Instruction; Public Service Commissioner; Senate District 46 and House District 92 candidates.

Absentee ballots were mailed Oct. 14. The general election is Nov. 8.

Missoula County Commissioner: David Strohmaier (D) is running against Todd Geery (R). Both were in attendance at the forum.

David Strohmaier (D) lives in Missoula. He works as a professional historian with Historical Research Associates and is a business partner with Three21 Innovations, LLC, a digital technology firm. His wife is on the staff of Holy Spirit Episcopal Church. His two children attend Missoula County Public Schools.

Strohmaier served eight years on the Missoula City Council. He has worked as an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) and wildland firefighter with the U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management (BLM).

"I believe we have to have elected officials with a clear-eyed focus on future generations," said Strohmaier. "We are citizens. To be a citizen in this country means giving back to our communities, means recognizing that there is such a thing as common good and we are in this all together whether you live here in Seeley Lake, or in Lolo or the heart of Missoula. Public service is important."

Core values Strohmaier brings to the commissioner's office are leadership, land stewards for conservation, good planning for the county, attending to public health and safety issues and attentiveness to social justice.

Todd Geery (R) was born, raised and lives in Missoula County. "One of the things that brought me here is pride. Pride in Missoula County," said Geery. "[When I moved away for six years] I still carried that pride with me."

Geery said some of the qualities he brings as a candidate is that he's not a career politician. He said he believes his experience is so light he "doesn't have bad habits."

Geery said that he's been frustrated with different issues.

"I can't live frustrated. I need to stand up and do something about it," said Geery. "I was called on for public service. It feels right and feels like something I can do."

What are your priorities and how might those differ from your opponent?

Geery (R) said his focus is representation and he has no personal agenda. The issue he sees as the most important is communication between city and county leaders and the communication between the county leaders and the residents.

Strohmaier (D) said he brings his experience of working in municipal government and seeing the ways that city and county governments do and don't work well together. Contrary to what some believe, Strohmaier said the city government is within Missoula County and is not completely autonomous.

Strohmaier said they need to realize the ways both governing bodies, urban and rural, can work together and support each other.

Strohmaier was a thinning and fire crew supervisor on the Ninemile Ranger District. He said the county needs to do a better job as a county working with communities for mitigation and fire impacts.

What is the biggest challenge to Seeley Lake's economic vitality and what would you do as a commissioner to address it?

Strohmaier (D) commitment is making sure plans are implemented. This includes the Seeley Lake Regional Plan. Water quality and the ability for businesses to expand are issues. The sewer is also a part of that big conversation that will be put to the voters. Having adequate telecommunication, broadband access and Internet connectivity is important.

Making sure there is adequate infrastructure will help address those issues.

Geery (R) said Seeley Lake is getting too large for what is here. A positive progression towards infrastructure is important. Public input will help everyone to be on the same page as issues progress. Having everyone on the same page is the bottom line for Geery.

How do you see the expense and added cost that comes into building and how would you address the affordable housing issue?

Geery (R) said there is a need to address and work with the realty business, the people he feels are in control of the issue. Affordable housing should be available for all.

Reducing the regulations will put less of a burden on the developers and in turn reduce the cost of housing. The issue is population, looking at supply and demand. Some kind of regulation needs to be implemented to get people on the same page so the struggles are understood in Missoula County.

"We need to get everyone on board at the same time and get everyone to the table so we can get something that works for all of us," said Geery.

Strohmaier (D) said there are two sides to the coin for affordable housing. First are the wages in the region. What can we do to put wages on an upward trajectory to track with inflation?

The other side is the bare cost of building housing, how much that is and how the regulatory process affects it. He's heard concerns about the Missoula City-County Health Department regulations.

Strohmaier is looking for specific regulations and fees that residents think are excessive. He recommended doing a fee-rate-schedule audit for the county to see how the rates match up to expenses in managing certain programs.

What are you going to do to keep taxes down rather than let them climb [based on the Fort Missoula Park bond, Missoula County Public Schools bond and now the Missoula Library bond]?

Strohmaier (D) the initiatives mentioned are voter initiated-voter approved debt. The voters should decide where their tax dollars go for infrastructure improvements.

"The treasure in the treasure state is in the heart and minds of our kids so I have no problem investing in education and improving our educational infrastructure," said Strohmaier. He agreed that voters are approaching tax and bond fatigue.

"At some point the $2 assessed on a $200,000 house adds up," said Strohmaier.

Geery (R) agrees with Strohmaier on the voter-initiated, voter-approved debt.

"The outlying cities around Missoula rarely get enough representation. Because of that we get hit pretty hard by these bonds," said Geery. "I don't think there are enough voters coming forward to not vote them in."

Geery would like to see more focus on infrastructure.

"As a county commissioner that is our goal, the people. The people that come forward are the people that we represent," said Geery.

How do you feel about a gas tax to help fund infrastructure such as roads?

Geery (R) doesn't like taxes to make up for over spending. He wants to focus on reducing taxes and reducing the tax burden on residents of Missoula County.

"To adopt a tax on fuel in Missoula County seems like more of the same," said Geery. "I would rather see a different way of taking care of infrastructure."

Strohmaier (D) said he would be willing to put it to the voters of Missoula County or to the city voters as a local option.

"I think we have been witness of a gas tax that has been flat for years and years. Our costs associated with infrastructure continue to rise. We have crumbling infrastructure. We need to figure out some way to pay for it and finance it."

For Strohmaier, a gas tax would help pay for the infrastructure and help capture revenue from visitors that use the infrastructure.

Closing Statements

Geery (R) said he wants to make everyone feel like they are put of the process again and not so frustrated.

"If I'm representing a group of people, then those are the people I represent. If I'm standing in front of a bunch of people who don't see the views that I represent, they are going to hear them," said Geery.

He wants to get more people involved in the process so when there are tough issues they can tackle them together.

He believes there needs to be more communication between the city and the county and they need to work together.

Strohmaier (D) feels that the local races are some of the most important races because the decisions that are made by these elected officials are "in your face every day."

Stewardship is the one word that Strohmaier would use to represent his campaign. First, it is the stewardship of public trust. Second, it is stewardship of public lands, including support of projects like the Blackfoot Clearwater Stewardship Project. And third, it is stewardship of public investments.

Strohmaier encouraged people to visit strohmaierforcommissioner.com to learn more about his campaign.