Lake Co. candidates debate in Rollins

By JACOB DORAN / Bigfork Eagle

A number of both state and local candidates assembled at the Rollins community building, last Tuesday, to take part in a debate hosted by the Women of Rollins Club. Candidates praised the forum as the best attended one they had taken part in during this election.

The Rollins forum was moderated by the club's own Joyce Funda, who is a licensed attorney in the state of New York and member of the Lake County Planning Board, as well as an election judge for Lake County. Funda said she has always been impressed by the government in the state of Montana and by the involvement of the people of Rollins in the political process.

"They are an intelligent group," Funda said of the Rollins residents attending the forum. "They are an informed group, and they are a curious group. My experience is that they want to know about the issues and the candidates and they want to make an informed decision."

At the onset of the forum, Funda presented a number of letters sent to her by candidates who were unable to attend the forum but who wished to address the Women of Rollins. These included both incumbent Governor Brian Schweitzer and gubernatorial challenger Roy Brown, Democratic candidate for U.S. House of Representatives John Driscol, current Secretary of State Brad Johnson, Republican candidate for state attorney general Tim Fox and Demotratic candidate Steve Bullock, as well as candidates for state auditor.

After a few West Shore candidates, District 20 judicial candidates Joey Jayne and incumbent district judge C.B. McNeal spoke about their position, which has jurisdiction in both Lake and Sanders Counties. Jayne, who was born and raised in New Mexico, came to Montana 20 years ago. She began her legal career as an advocate and attorney in 1993 as a legal services attorney for the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes and served as a prosecutor for the Tribes from 1998-2000. She established the Joey Jayne Law Office in 2000 and is curently running for district court judge because she hopes to bring "a new set of eyes to the district," having practiced law in several different types of districts.

McNeal informed the audience that he was first elected to office by the voters of Lake County in 1972, as a delegate to the Montana Constitutional Convention, where he helped to draft what is now the fundamental law of the state of Montana. McNeal feels that experience gives him a qualification that no other judge in the state of Montana has. He became the first district judge for District 20 and continued to hold the office for more than 23 years, with more than 23 thousand district court cases under his belt.

For the office of county commissioner for Lake County, Democratic candidate Jeanne Windham and Republican candidate Bill Baron both introduced themselves and spent much of the question and answer session responding to questions directed toward the commissioner candidates.

Windham introduced herself as a small business owner and University of Montana graduate with both a bachelors and masters degree, as well as a graduate of Western Legislative Academy. She is a former state representative and current president of Domestic Violence Education Services.

"The county commissioner position is not a 40-hour-a-week job," Windham said. "It's not a four-day-a-week job. It's a public commitment. Above all else, a county commissioner should not promise anything they cannot deliver. My philosophy is not how much is required of me, but how much I can do for you to make a positive difference in your life."

Baron introduced himself as a native Montanan who has devoted 30 years of his life to county government. Baron pointed out that as the former Lake County sheriff he was responsible for a $2 million budget.

"As your commissioner, I'll have an open door policy," Baron said. "I'll welcome you to my office with an open mind. I will talk to you. I will not talk down to you. I will treat you with the respect you deserve as my employer."

Incumbent Republican candidate for Senate District 6 John Bruggeman was next to speak. Bruggman's challenger, Constitution Party candidate Michael Donohue did not attend the forum.

Bruggeman stated that he is a fan of acquisition value when it comes to property taxes and property tax reform. However, due to an issue with the state constitution, he said that pursuing an acquisition value based property tax is not an option. Rather than attempting to change the constitution, he said he is looking into a different plan this year that would cap any increase at two percent per year for as long as a person owns his or her home.

"We're seeing tougher times in the economy," Bruggeman said. "It's time to take a look at restructuring. It's time that we reduce the size of state government in the coming lean time. I guarantee that I'm not coming back—and I don't think anyone should come back—to ask for more tax revenues. Montanans can't afford it."

The last candidate to speak was the Constitution Party's candidate for secretary of state Sieglinde Sharbono.

"I strongly believe in fair and honest elections," Sharbono said. "As Stalin said so well, it's not the people who cast the votes who determine the outcome of elections. It's the people who count the votes."

Sharbono said the second part of her platform is to see that elected officials honor their oath of office to uphold the constitution, adding that she believes it is time to return to a strong constitutional government.

Many of the questions asked during the subsequent questions and answers session pertained to the office of Lake County commissioner. Both candidates supported a larger justice center, but differed on their views of how a larger facility should be pursued.

One question, asked by Rollins resident Steve Rosso, focused on how each candidate viewed property rights and whether they believed the county should keep its current density map. Both Baron and Windham said they supported the density map. Baron said he believed that it should be reviewed every five years unless an issue came up sooner that necessitated the map to be reviewed at an earlier date. Windham added that zoning provides predictability, which she believed to be important with Lake County growing as rapidly as it now is, and that she supports community zoning.