Incumbent, challengers focus on growth, efficiency and budget

Ask three different people the right way to run Bonner County and you’ll get three different answers – especially in the race for the Republican post in the District 1 commissioner’s contest.

The contenders in the May 23 primary are vying for the chance to meet Democrat Todd J. Crossett in the general election for the two-year post.

They include current Commissioner Marcia L. Phillips, former Commissioner Bud Mueller and Lance D. Lane, who works as an appraiser for the county Assessor’s Office. All three said their experiences best qualify them for the post.

Phillips said she has a long list of accomplishments from her first term – and an equally lengthy roster of things to do.

Phillips said she’s particularly proud of her work to transfer county employees to a state-run retirement system and of efforts to revamp public safety communications. In a second term, she said, she would tackle even thornier problems. “The overriding issue is growth,” Phillips said. “Underneath of that heading come a number of other issues that can bring us to some projects.”

Completing work to revise the county’s land-use development code would be a top priority, she said. Close on its heels would be a new look at property tax reform.

“I think it would be beneficial to look at capping values, and with that has to come a full disclosure of sales prices,” Phillips said.

Like fellow sitting Commissioner Karl Dye, Phillips hopes to streamline county processes that allow developers to move ahead with projects. A logjam of applications could be eased, perhaps, by implementing a fast-track option.

“People who have done the appropriate background work shouldn’t have to wait in line behind someone who hasn’t,” she said.

Phillips said her experience as a commissioner during a time of rapid growth and 15 years of experience in property management qualify her for a return to office.

“I bring my positive approach to addressing the concerns that we have in this county,” she said. “I prefer to be proactive rather than reactive. We’ve worked really hard to get ahead of the growth issue.”

Challenger Bud Mueller is returning to the commissioner’s race because he doesn’t like what he sees. Mueller, who served from 1997 to 2001, may have been best known for his move to abolish the county building department upon taking office. He stands by that decision – and by other controversial stances.

“I held the budget down just from sheer dominance, I think,” Mueller said.

He’s seeking office, he said, because the county’s $39 million budget spiked by $6 million and because he believes the road maintenance department isn’t getting its fair share.

“People in Bonner County are concerned about their high taxes and good roads,” he said. “Everything else they can get along with. My idea of government is what you need, not what makes you feel good.”

Although Lance D. Lane has lived in Bonner County for only a few years, he believes his view of county government has been better than that of most newcomers. As an appraiser with the Assessor’s Office, Lane said he sees firsthand changes that need to be made.

Departments need to work together more, he said. “There are a lot of detail things that would make things more efficient and accurate.”

The backlog in assessments could be solved, in part, by instituting a certificate of occupation or certificate of completion permit, Lane said. Now, appraisers who must physically evaluate properties have no way of knowing if or when they’re ready to view.

Lane favors efforts to streamline the planning process, which he characterized as “a nightmare.”

“We don’t have user-friendly departments,” he said. “Departments need to work a lot better as far as accuracy and efficiency goes and for customer service. If you’re going to work in the public sector, you have to work with the public.”