There’s a recurring theme that runs through Noel Gorton’s platform as she campaigns for the Flathead County District 2 commissioner seat:

Simply put, county officials must abide by the law.

“I feel like there’s not been the best management of county funds in the last two to three years,” she said. “They’re not following the laws in place that govern this county. I can follow laws.”

Gorton, of Creston, is challenging incumbent Democrat Joe Brenneman in the June 8 primary election (early voting begins May 10).

The winner will face the top Republican picked from a three-way race between Howard Gipe, Patrick Nickol and Pam Holmquist in the general election.

Making decisions without adhering to the letter of the law is what has gotten Flathead County sued on numerous occasions, Gorton contended, noting that as of November 2009 there were 20 lawsuits pending against the county.

The North Shore Ranch lawsuit is a good example, she said. If that project met subdivision regulations, it should have been allowed, even if two of the commissioners and many neighbors didn’t want it.

“If the law says we have to allow it, then we need to work to change the law,” she said.

Gorton has her own experience with suing the county. She and her husband, Tom, successfully sued the commissioners to force further planning review of Fox Hill Estates in their neighborhood, and the court ordered the county to pay for the Gortons’ legal fees.

Gorton wonders if laws were broken in the ousting of Fair Manager Jay Scott, particularly in the way he was dismissed. Scott’s contract was not renewed by the Fair Board in February.

“I read the audit and it didn’t look like he’d been told he would lose his job,” she said. “I don’t even know why he was let go. Usually longevity [Scott’s 14 years at the job] is a good thing in business.

“I’d throw out the Fair Board,” she said. “It’s interesting the board has that much control.”

She likewise has been following the Planning Office saga and the opposition that has mounted against Planning Director Jeff Harris.

“If people were upset with Jeff’s rulings, if he’s following the law it’s not his fault” if some decisions adversely affect property owners, Gorton said.

Gorton is taking a hard look at how county departments are operated and said she’s not sure the consolidation done in recent years is a good thing or if it’s cost-effective. She sees plenty of areas where the county could save money otherwise.

“We contract out work that looks like it should be done in-house,” she observed. “ They’re buying a lot of equipment in the Road Department — a new water truck and a lot of dump trucks — and then they’re hiring out for a lot of hauling. Why do that if we have our own equipment?”

Gorton doesn’t believe the commissioners or department heads should have their own county vehicles, and said it would be more efficient to have a small pool of vehicles and requisition keys for use as needed.

She plans to take a fine-toothed comb through the entire county budget, looking at everything from how much money is spent on lodging for out-of-town meetings to consulting and engineering fees for various studies and projects.

It’s the little things that add up, she said, such as paying for personalized Flathead County mudflaps on county trucks when the factory-made mudflaps would suffice.

Gorton has a lot to say about roads.

She opposed the Rural Special Improvement District imposed for the road she lives along — Mennonite Church Road — saying the assessment is a double tax on what essentially is a through-road that benefits that entire area, not just the people who live along the road.

The road district would not have been necessary if the county had not waived paving requirements for Fox Hill Estates, she said.

If the county is going to use RSIDs to force paving, it should also consider such districts for areas where paving needs to be overlaid. And if the county uses a cost-sharing program for gravel roads, it also should use cost-sharing for overlays of existing paved roads, Gorton maintained.

The Road Department also needs to stop doing unnecessary overlays, she added.

“I question the management in the Road Department,” she said. “It seems like affluent neighborhoods’ needs are met, but in places like Hungry Horse the roads are horrible.”

She spent time driving on county roads and videotaping the conditions before forming those opinions, she said.

Gorton is excited for the chance to be a commissioner and promised “full-time commissioning” if elected.

“The commissioner position is one of great responsibility. Everything starts and stops with the commissioners,” she said. “I think I can make a difference.”

 Features editor Lynnette Hintze may be reached at 758-4421 or by e-mail at lhintze@dailyinterlake.com