The Flathead Beacon did the Flathead Valley a huge public service by publishing an extensive article featuring the political race between our two candidates for Flathead County Commission (Sept. 24 Beacon: “ A Change for the Commission”). Thank you Molly Priddy for allowing the citizenry to learn what is at stake.
I have resided in Kalispell for 32 years and have seen plenty individuals compete to be elected for county commission. I don’t recall any earlier candidate investing a great deal of pre-election time researching and studying county government prior to campaigning. But Stacey Schnebel has done that, on her own time on her own dime.
Mr. Mitchell, while known for some years of public service to the village of Whitefish, is an unknown quantity to the rest of Flathead’s voters; yet he is not willing to engage in public debate concerning how he would govern. That in itself raises a huge red flag. He wants to become one of the three most important public officials in the county but does not want to make himself available for public inspection.
Priddy reports that he said he “refused to debate Schnebel because he didn’t know where she stood on issues.” I find that lame and disrespectful. He has no need to know where she stands. It is the PUBLIC that needs to figure out where each of them stand and it is the public which needs a demonstration on who is the person who will be best suited to carry out the business of this county.
Former four-term U.S. Sen. Olympia Snowe, a Republican who declined to run for a fifth term because of the gridlock and angry partisanship now dominating America’s political landscape, is on record as saying, “Elect more women. They are more collaborative” and, “you have to work with those with whom you disagree,” something that’s “as rare as a solar eclipse, if not Halley’s comet.”
Mitchell was quoted as saying, “I am known.” That may very well be the case in the village of Whitefish. I suspect in the rest of Flathead Valley he is simply known as the man who is running against Stacey Schnebel, who is unwilling to demonstrate that he would be the better county commissioner and as the candidate who is neither collaborative nor adept in communicating.
Peter Stoll
Kalispell