Page 19 - Flathead Beacon // 9.24.14

FLATHEADBEACON.COM COVER
SEPTEMBER 24, 2014 | 19
Phil Mitchell, Flathead County commissioner candidate. GREG LINDSTROM | FLATHEAD BEACON
C hange is coming to the Flathead County Commission.
Regardless of who wins the November general election, there will be a new per- sonality with new goals on the board as vot- ers will choose between Democrat Stacey Schnebel, a political newcomer boasting a fresh perspective, and Phil Mitchell, an experienced public servant with deep ties to the Flathead.
Both are vying for the District 1 seat on the com- mission, which covers the north section of the county and is currently held by Cal Scott, who lost the pri- mary election to Mitchell and went on to cross party lines and endorse Schnebel.
The commission is the most powerful board in the county, serving as both the legislative and ad- ministrative branch. Commissioners are elected for six-year terms, and each one represents a different section of the county.
Being a commissioner means making many de- cisions for a large group of people, and both Mitch- ell and Schnebel believe they are the person to best serve county residents.
With the general election Nov. 4, and mail-in bal- lots to be sent out Oct. 6, here is a look at the candi- dates’ respective backgrounds, and their opinions on the issues facing Flathead County.
BACKGROUND
“I don’t look in the mirror and see a Demo- crat,” Stacey Schnebel said last week. “People are people to me.”
As a relative political newcomer, Schnebel has taken to the campaign trail with fervor, meeting with local groups and county officials to try and get her name out there and her message heard.
That message is that she has no agenda, and only wants to be a commissioner because she believes she could best serve the people of District 1 and the rest of the county by listening to what they believe are the most-pressing issues and then acting on those issues in accord with the public’s wishes.
So far, Schnebel has heard from constituents about issues such as trash collection and the county’s green box sites; the ongoing growth and expansion of the Agency on Aging; and the future of the county’s recycling program.
“I’m bringing back the active participation of the constituency,” she said. “Those are the things that don’t really have (political) party ties.”
Running for county commissioner is the first time Schnebel, 36, has approached public office, but her interest in public service was sparked during a trip to Washington, D.C. at age 17 for a National Young Leaders Conference, where she represented her home state of Illinois.
Schnebel grew up outside of Chicago on an eight- acre farm. She eventually went to four years of col- lege at the University of Iowa, but didn’t graduate with a degree.
Instead, she ventured west in 2000 seeking ad- venture. She stopped to visit Glacier National Park, and fell in love with the area. She met her husband, Seth, that same year, and the two lived in Whitefish for seven years before moving to Coram and starting
UnderCurrent Web in 2008.
The couple bought Stoner’s Inn in 2009 and
turned it into the Stonefly Lounge, which Schnebel considered an act of investing in her community as well as owning a small business.
During this same time, she was the marketing director and event manager for the Belton Chalet in West Glacier, and in 2011 quit that job to give her full focus to their businesses and two children.
Schnebel is also the vice president of the Co- lumbia Falls Area Chamber of Commerce and serves as the president of the Trapline Association, which is responsible for the annual Cabin Fever Days celebration.
Phil Mitchell is no stranger to elections or public service.
He served on the Whitefish City Council from 2010 to 2013, spent 2002 to 2007 on the Whitefish School Board, and has spent innumerable hours vol- unteering his time and talent for his church and oth- er local organizations.
Elections can be draining, he said, but when he makes a decision to do something, he goes full steam ahead.
“Do it 100 percent or don’t do it,” he said last week.
Mitchell, 61, has started to ramp up his campaign for county commission, a job for which he believes his experience on city council and the connections he made there make him the best candidate.
Having lived in the Flathead with his wife Be- linda for about 37 years, Mitchell said he knows the area and the area knows him. He grew up in San Di- ego, where his mother moved him and his three sis-