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SEPTEMBER 24, 2014 | 21 but asserted that he wants to know
where someone stands on the issues be- fore debating them.
He doesn’t believe he needs a de- bate to let voters know where he sits with the issues.
“I am known, I’ve done my job,” Mitchell said. “My voting record and what I stand for are out there.”
CLOSING ARGUMENTS
Even though he shares the same political party as the sitting commis- sioners, Mitchell said he would be a new voice on the board, and wouldn’t auto- matically rubber stamp any decisions.
“If we agree on everything we might as well just have one commission- er,” he said. “We’re not going to agree on everything.”
He also said he knows what it takes to be an elected official, and that he is ready to move forward and work for the county 100 percent.
As a Democrat, Schnebel said she would like to provide a new perspective and thoughtful ear on the board.
She said she would like to repre- sent a broad cross-section of voters, despite having a “D” behind her name in the election.
“I want to affect positive change and do my best work for the county,” Schnebel said.
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Bigfork area residents on the issue, and he believes the proposed fee district is a fair way to go about the new system.
“The residents came up with the so- lution,” Mitchell said.
WATER COMPACT
Throughout the summer, Mitchell said he spent considerable time with residents and officials talking about the county’s involvement with the con- tested water compact between the state and the Confederated Salish and Koo- tenai Tribes, and though he believes a compact is necessary, the current ver- sion needs work.
He doesn’t agree that the tribes should have ownership over any of the Hungry Horse Dam water, and doubts that the Legislature will come to any productive conclusions during the 2015 session.
“I think we need a water com- pact, but it is full of holes right now,” Mitchell said.
Schnebel said she has faith in the system when it comes to the water com- pact, and that the state has entered suc- cessfully into water compacts with all of the other tribes.
“As a candidate for county commis- sioner, I do not see it as being my place to use that as a campaign platform,” she said. “If I specifically wanted to change the compact, I would be running for the Legislature.”
INTERLOCAL COMMUNICATION
Both candidates have expressed a de- sire to improve communication between the county and the local municipalities.
“There’s a whole lot of space there where we could work to reconnect,” Schnebel said.
Mitchell agreed, saying the lawsuit between the county and Whitefish did neither party any favors when it comes to building relationships.
Columbia Falls and Whitefish are the municipalities within the District 1 boundaries, and Columbia Falls city manager Susan Nicosia said she has heard from both candidates, and she believes Mitchell and Schnebel would work well with her city.
“We have an excellent working rela- tionship with the county,” Nicosia said. “Whomever is in that seat, we want to continue that relationship.”
In Whitefish, city manager Chuck Stearns said the recent doughnut law- suit will likely make land use issues “sensitive” between the city and county for some time, but he thinks improv- ing communication will be an impor- tant part of the future relationship between the two.
“There’s a lot more opportunities for us to work together and work well to- gether. A lot of that starts with commu- nication,” Stearns said. “We’ll just have to see who’s elected and try to work with both them individually and the commis- sion as a board.”
DEBATES
One of the biggest issues to arise in the campaign for the District 1 seat is that of debates. Mitchell has said he doesn’t need to debate Schnebel because voters know him and where he stands, and during his interview with the Bea- con, he said he refused to debate with Schnebel because he didn’t know where she stood on issues.
Her assertion that she doesn’t see a Democrat or a Republican when she looks in the mirror isn’t reas- suring, he said.
“That’s not a stance for anything,” Mitchell said. “I’m a Republican. I stand for those issues.”
Schnebel said Mitchell’s reticence to debate her is unfortunate, but that won’t stop her from scheduling more debates. If her opponent decides not to show up, the event will be a chance for voters to speak with her and ask ques- tions, she said.
“I think he’s under the impression that because he said no, there will be si- lence,” Schnebel said.
Schnebel has scheduled several events for October: Oct. 1 at Columbia Falls High School; Oct. 10 at the White- fish Performing Arts Center; and one more in Kalispell.
There will also be an event at Bigfork High School on Oct. 6.
Mitchell said his decision not to debate Schnebel was one of the hard- er choices he’s made in his campaign,
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