Election 2008

Former sheriff casts hat in ring.

By RICHARD HANNERS / Whitefish Pilot

Former Flathead County sheriff Jim Dupont had a rough start to his campaign for county commissioner. Returning from a trip to Reno, Nev., where he attended the 15th annual convention of the Western States Sheriffs' Association, a group he helped start, Dupont found himself with a serious case of bronchitis and bruised ribs.

A few weeks later, he had recuperated enough to speak to the Pilot. Dupont will face incumbent commissioner Gary Hall in the June 3 primary.

Dupont joked that he "complained all the time about the commissioners office" while sheriff, but he's not running as a career move.

"It's one term only," he said.

It's also not for the money. He said his current job with a security company doing work at Hoover Dam, Vandenberg Air Force Base and several dams near Nashville, Tenn., pays "two and a half times" what Flathead's commissioners get paid.

A certified pilot and aircraft mechanic, Dupont served in the Navy in the 1960s flying transport planes during the Vietnam War.

His law enforcement career began in 1969 as deputy sheriff in San Diego. He became a Flathead County deputy sheriff/coroner in 1978, For the next 13 years, he worked as a patrol deputy, detective, special investigator and emergency medical technician. He was elected sheriff in 1991 and served 16 years.

Dupont said one reason for running is his concern over property rights. He mentioned the "doughnut" issue in Whitefish as a good example.

"This takes a lot of reading and thought," he said. "I don't want the Flathead to turn into what's happening all over the U.S."

He said over-regulation threatens properties owned by families that have been in the Flathead for a century or more.

"The rules can make it unbearable. It can leave them with no nest egg," he said. "I'm not saying this is happening right now, but we need to watch out. The benefit of the doubt should go to property owners."

Dupont said he has no major issues with the county's new growth policy because it addresses property rights. He said he was more concerned with how the county follows rules and regulations once they're in place.

"We need to apply the rules equally to everyone," he said. "I understand there will be exceptions, but we need to treat everyone equally."

As sheriff, Dupont was involved in discussions over the county's building program. He said a brand-new jail is "too expensive" and "not viable." He said the current building could be expanded by 100 beds. As for new offices for county staff, he suggests looking at using existing office space, not a new building.

"When I left, every office was crowded — the county attorney's office, the sheriff's office, everyone," he pointed out.

Dupont said he's interested in the road issue.

"It's a long-standing joke that the roads that get paved are determined by who gets elected," he said. "It's a shame the road department director is not elected."

He said the county is on the right path to dealing with roads, especially looking at using dust control over paving.

"We need to create a plan and stick to it," he said. "We need to make a list and only alter it as growth takes place."

The impacts of sprawl must be balanced against property rights, he said. The sheriff's department rarely went out to places like Marion in the past, but now that area is growing, he said. Impact fees, however, are only a short-term fix, especially since they can't be use for operational costs.

"We could buy more patrol cars, but we couldn't hire anyone to drive them," he said.

People who move here from "big cities" want more services, but they need to understand how to live in rural areas, he said.

As sheriff, Dupont said, he was sick of hearing about how the county was broke. While he said he never saw money wasted, he saw "a lot of money spent trying to save money." Losing PILT money from the federal government was also a big blow.

"I think my own taxes are appropriate, but I expect they'll go up," he said. "We need to get back to priorities — health and safety, roads, and then everything else."

Dupont's campaign Web site is www.jimdupont2008.com.