Probe clears county planning director

Northwest Montana News Network

A six-month probe into alleged improprieties by Flathead County planning director Jeff Harris and his staff has cleared Harris and county planners of any wrongdoing.

Private investigator William Eisentraut, of Moonlighting Detective Agency, was paid $10,000 to investigate allegations made by American Dream Montana, a property-rights group, and other private citizens. The 800-page report detailing his examination of 29 separate allegations was released last week.

The allegations included favoritism, pushing agendas, power plays, stubbornness, defamation, illegally waiving conditional-use permit and zoning fees, extortion, illegally destroying public records and noncompliance with county and state laws.

"I found no wrongdoing by the planning staff," Eisentraut concluded. He said he "interrogated" Harris at his office for 25 hours over eight sessions.

"Harris answered every question head on," Eisentraut said. "He was always polite, never shirked a question, spoke of his accusers with respect and never showed a tinge of anger or reluctance."

Eisentraut said he believed the county was 'very fortunate to have the professionals it does in the planning office, and that includes their director."

The commissioners said they hope the report brings closure to the contentiousness that has plagued the planning office in recent months.

"In my opinion, American Dream Montana has no credibility," commissioner Joe Brenneman said. "Not a single allegation was valid."

Commissioner Jim Dupont said there's a need for better understanding on both sides, and with issues involving property rights or neighborhood concerns there has to be compromise.

Harris said he and his staff welcomed the investigation and were "obviously very pleased" with the outcome. "It's nice to be cleared," he said. "I hope it puts closure on these guys."

American Dream Montana, however, doesn't intend to drop its concerns. In a press release, chairman Russ Crowder said he and other American Dream members had not fully reviewed the lengthy document, but based on "inside information," Flathead County has 'significantly lowered the bar in terms of the future treatment county property owners can expect when it comes to the county recognizing, respecting and protecting their rights as property owners."

After reading portions of the report, Crowder called Eisentraut's report "finest work of fiction and revisionist history I've ever read."

Kalispell attorney Tammi Fisher, who represents several citizens whose allegations were investigated, claimed "Eisentraut editorializes Harris as a competent 'professional'" despite the report's account of "multiple accusations of ethical lapses' by Harris.

"Frankly, the taxpayers of Flathead County deserve better from our public servants than the divisive culture created by Harris' ethical and professional lapses," Fisher said.

Donna Thornton, one of the citizens who made allegations against Harris, agreed with Fisher's opinion.

"The fact that it took an investigation to get Jeff Harris to admit he's made mistakes shows he can't be an effective leader," Thornton said. "He has polarized the community with his unprofessionalism."