Doug Adams said he had thought about running for Flathead County commissioner for many years and when a vacancy was created this spring, he filed for the office.

“I’ve had a desire to run for county commissioner for a long time. The timing in this case was  unfortunate, but I filed because it made sense to me to run now,” Adams said. “I’m at a better place in life with time to do the job.”

Adams, a Republican, worries about the “us versus them” attitude at the local level, specifically mentioning the Whitefish “doughnut” issue. Lawsuits are pending to determine whether Flathead County or the city of Whitefish should have planning jurisdiction in that two-mile zone surrounding the city.

“I’m willing and able to be flexible enough to help people get things done and get away from that ‘us versus them’ mentality,” he said. “It does not matter which city you live in, we all live in Flathead County and all presumably are working toward the same goal.”

Adams said he doesn’t understand why the doughnut issue is in litigation.

“People may feel threatened by the thought of future annexation,” he speculated. He pointed out, however, that “it’s a proven fact that cities grow geographically but counties don’t.”

He would like to see the doughnut lawsuits settled before trial.

Doughnut residents deserve government representation, Adams said. “The city and the county need to sit down and work together on a resolution.”  

Whitefish leaders have an interest in what their city looks like as it grows, Adams said.

When the two entities reached an agreement to let city rules be applied within the doughnut area, Adams said the county commissioners were trying to be responsible with their budget. Allowing the city to have jurisdiction resulted in the city bearing the costs to enforce and implement regulations in the doughnut, he said.

He worries that some people in the doughnut debate “have dug in their heels and want to die on that hill.”

He would prefer to resolve the issue and guarantee those residents representation.

“I’m a solutions-based person,” Adams said.

He would carry that attitude into all his duties as a commissioner, he said. “I would take the trouble to research issues and be deliberate in my response,” he said.

Adams said his goal would be “to do business in a way that [the county] can’t be sued, to be fair and follow the law.”

Adams said learning more about the details of the cost split between the county and the three incorporated cities in Flathead County that funds the 911 center is on his list of things to do soon. He wants to ensure that the funding formula is fair.

“We need to operate the 911 center in the most efficient way possible,” Adams said.

Technology is important at the 911 center, he said, but it must be proven technology, not just the latest thing.

Adams is generally pleased with the way Flathead County government runs.

He hasn’t yet studied the county department budgets to say if any specific areas could run more efficiently.

He said that every time a county department plans a big project, the cost for the county to do that work should be determined. Then bids should be sought from private firms to see which option is cheaper.

That process might not apply in cases where hiring a private company would result in county equipment sitting unused or if any union contracts would end up in the employees being paid whether they did the work or not. In those cases, it makes sense for the county to do the work, he said.

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