Gary Krueger says he’s running for the Flathead County commission because he can bring a message of job and business promotion and streamline the county’s permitting processes to help bring business to the county.

As a member of the county Board of Adjustment, he has seen people’s frustrations with the permitting process.

“We have to send a message we’re open for business if we’re going to have a rounded economy,” Krueger said.

The last business boom in the county was lopsided toward housing construction, he said. He said he thinks government leaders inadvertently sent the message that businesses would struggle if they came here because of permitting processes.

And, he said, he has the time to be a commissioner. “Community service is very important to me,” Krueger said.

Now in his 22nd year as a member of the West Valley School Board, he says he “pays attention to finances. The philosophy I bring is a prudent budget.”

The West Valley board rarely asks voters to approve bond issues, he said, yet found money to expand the building to meet the increasing school population. Last year the district had the lowest cost per student in Montana and is second-lowest this year, he said.

Flathead County operates pretty efficiently, Krueger said.

“When I started this run, one of my goals was to learn about government. I talked to department heads and what I found was more work is being done by less staff. We already have fewer people doing more work. That’s efficiency,” he said.

“Our current commission has been very effective in creating an efficient government. Can it get more efficient? Probably a little,” Krueger said.

He described the county staff as “excellent. I’ve got no complaints.”

Krueger said he believes every person has the right to representation.

That position is the heart of the debate and pending lawsuits about jurisdiction in the two-mile “doughnut” surrounding Whitefish, he said.

“It is in the courts and it’s sad that it’s there,” he said of the doughnut jurisdiction issue. “No one is the winner in this.” Taxpayers are spending money to resolve the litigation, he said.

“There were some very good commissioners who worked on this, but didn’t seem able to come to an equitable solution and I find that sad,” Krueger said.

The county commissioners should represent doughnut residents unless the area is annexed by the city of Whitefish, Krueger said.

Generally, too many lawsuits have been filed against Flathead County, Krueger said.

He said he thinks the county may be the subject of so many lawsuits because “we are not getting the legal advice our representatives need.” For example, he said the Board of Adjustment gets very little legal advice.

Some of the county’s regulations may be at fault, leading to litigation, he said.

“I campaign on ‘We need to change things’ and get rid of the language that’s not clear. We can’t have contradictory language,” he said.

Litigation can be resolved outside the courtroom, too, he said.

Krueger isn’t sure if the county should have full control of the 911 center that’s operated through an interlocal agreement between the county and the three incorporated cities in Flathead County.

“We have some very proud communities and they deserve their identity and part of that is their police force,” he said.

Flathead County may possibly need to take a larger role in the 911 center, he said, “but having the cities involved is still in the best interest of the cities.”

Reporter Shelley Ridenour may be reached at 758-4439 or sridenour@dailyinterlake.com.