Republican candidate Cal Scott and Democrat Gil Jordan only had 72 hours to decide whether to run for the Flathead County Commission District 1 seat, which was left vacant after former Commissioner Jim Dupont’s death in March.
A total of eight candidates filed, and as the only Democrat to run, Jordan coasted through the primary election. Scott, on the other hand, faced six GOP opponents in the June primaries, winning with 23.2 percent of the Republican vote.
The county commissioners also chose Scott as the interim commissioner after Dupont’s passing, and he has been serving there since April. Scott, 68, is also the founder and director of ETHIC, a nonprofit real estate education and counseling organization. From 1972 to 2011, Scott has owned and managed companies in the real estate field, as well as in financial counseling and business planning.
Scott was the president of the Northwest Montana Association of Realtors in 2008, and has taught at Flathead Valley Community College.
This is the first time Scott has run for office, and there have been aspects of the race that he characterized as “nasty,” particularly with reference to his 2009 bankruptcy filing. People have been making “broad assumptions” about the situation, he said, which included over $170,000 in debt on 22 credit cards and losing a home and a car due to lack of payment.
In an interview last week, Scott said the bankruptcy filing occurred as a result of he and his wife working to establish annuities and trust funds for retirement. In 2007, some of those funds disappeared as the economy started to tank, he said.
“When that disappeared, there went my retirement and ability to pay off debt at 65,” Scott said.
It offered a dose of humility, he said, and gave him and his wife Laurale a new perspective on life. After learning they would not be able to recoup the money, which was lost in part due to “poor judgment” in investments, Scott said, the couple realized they would not be able to sustain the debt.
He and his wife cleaned and winterized their home and moved out once they called the creditors to inform them they couldn’t pay, Scott said, and did the same with the couple’s Subaru Tribeca.
Scott said he also traded in his Dodge diesel truck and gave up a fifth-wheeler and a boat as well. The couple did not use anything they realized they could not pay for, he said.
“I have never used and abused the system,” Scott said.
Scott also said assumptions that he was living the “high life” on 22 credit cards were “total bunk.” He was responsible for all the credit cards, he said, but only possessed eight of them. The other 14 were with kids, grandkids and grandparents, he said.
Now, the couple does not use credit cards, Scott said, relying instead on debit cards.
Scott also said claims that he embellished his educational background are false.
Despite the bankruptcy filing, Scott said the community should feel comfortable with him handling the county’s multi-million dollar budget. He said he has already removed over $1 million in “ideological programs” from the budget, referring to the county’s decision not to purchase Discovery Square in Columbia Falls.
Any budget item that does not offer a financial, health or safety return on its investment should be excised from the budget, Scott said.
As for job creation, Scott believes certain regulations, such as zoning, can get in the way of businesses in the valley. The county’s Growth Policy should “back away from being too specific,” Scott said, though he said he is not against planning.
Scott said voters should cast their ballots for him because of his past accomplishments and passion for public service.
“I think it should be based on the demonstrated abilities and accomplishments of that person and I think my resume speaks for itself in that regard,” Scott said.
As the Democrat in the race, Gil Jordan said it has been tough to run a full-time campaign while working his full-time job as the executive director for the Northwest Montana Historical Society and Museum at Central School in Kalispell.
But he said he is used to working hard.
“I’m 66 years old; I’ve been working for 50 years,” he said.
Jordan and his wife, Kimberly Pinter, have a log home in Coram, where Jordan has owned land since 1978. He moved to the spot full time in 1985, and has been a volunteer firefighter for Coram-West Glacier for 25 years.
Jordan was also a social worker for the Western Montana Mental Health Center in Kalispell for 13 years, and has experience teaching grades K-12 in Columbia Falls, Whitefish and West Glacier.
He decided to run for county commissioner because he believes there should be a different perspective on the board, instead of one comprised of three Republicans. Though he might get out-voted, Jordan said someone should speak up and ask questions from a different point of view.
“If I’m elected, I would be that voice,” Jordan said.
As a commissioner, Jordan said he would be a strong steward of taxpayers’ dollars, citing his experience as the technical director of the La Mirada Civic Theatre, during which he managed a million-dollar budget, supervised 40 employees and planned major capital improvement projects.
Part of saving the county money would come through foresight, Jordan said. For example, when there’s going to be construction on a county road, there could be preplanning to include bike and pedestrian paths during the initial construction.
“When we do it as an afterthought, it costs us a lot,” Jordan said.
A strong economy, good jobs and a clean environment can all exist together, Jordan said, and one does not have to suffer for the other to thrive. He said he would like to start a council of local governments, which would include surrounding counties and cities, to open up communication and see where services can be shared.
Jordan said he is in favor of the 2007 version of the county’s growth policy, and does not support weakening it.
“It’s a well-thought out and powerful document for a balanced community,” he said.
A healthy community creates jobs, Jordan said, because it attracts entrepreneurs who bring employment. The commission has very little control over many of the regulations imposed on employers, Jordan said, because most of them come from the state level.
The valley should support and encourage businesses already located here, he said, because they serve millions of tourists who visit the area. There should also be an emphasis on educating the local workforce, he said.
With a background in management and deep history in the area, Jordan said he believes he is a good fit for the commission.
“I do know this community from the inside out, and I would bring that experience to the job,” Jordan said.
The general election is on Nov. 6.