Voters will find a crowded field of Republican candidates in both Flathead County commissioner races as they head to the polls during the primary election on Tuesday.

Having two commissioner races on the ballot is unusual in Flathead County.

In District 1 there are seven Republicans vying for the two-year vacancy left when Commissioner Jim Dupont died in March. The winner of Tuesday’s primary election will challenge Democrat Gil Jordan in the Nov. 6 general election this fall. Chris Hyatt, an eighth candidate, withdrew from the race but still will be listed on the ballot.

In District 3 there are five Republicans in the primary run-off for the seat held by retiring Commissioner Dale Lauman. The winner advances to the general election to face Democratic challenger Clara Mears-LaChappelle.

All county voters may vote in both commissioner races.

District 1

In a nutshell, here’s a recap of the Republican contenders in District 1, which includes the area north of Kalispell, Whitefish, Columbia Falls and the Canyon area:

v Doug Adams, 49, is a former Whitefish City Council member who owns Design Turf Technologies.

Adams says he’s a “solutions-based person” who would like to see the jurisdiction battle over Whitefish’s two-mile “doughnut” area resolved in a compromise that would give doughnut residents representation and yet allow the city of Whitefish to have a say in how the city grows. Adams wants to ensure the 911 dispatch center funding formula is fair.

v Rod Bernhardson, 50, owns a commercial maintenance management company.

Bernhardson would like to see the county address transportation as it relates to getting locally made products shipped out of the area and further developing the Flathead’s agricultural industry. He favors consolidation and cross-training of county employees for efficiency, and said he’s willing to look at input about operational changes about how the 911 dispatch center should run.

v Kirk Gentry, 55, owns Gentry River Ranch and has a background in guiding and outfitting.

Gentry describes himself as a “bottom line kind of guy” who prefers to see earlier dialog about contentious issues such as the Whitefish doughnut. It’s important that county officials make decisions based not only on laws and rules but also on what’s good for the county, he said.

Regarding the 911 center, Gentry said it probably makes sense for the county to be the operator, but he sees the importance of keeping the cities involved on an equitable, shared basis.

v Glenn Kolodejchuk, 50, works in the maintenance department at Glacier Park International Airport and owns an excavation business.

Kolodejchuk said he would bring blue-collar common sense to the job of commissioner, having worked in the timber industry for 25 years. He’s keen on increased efficiency in county government — “doing more with less.” He said residents are “fed up with paying for lawsuits” and he vowed to work toward resolutions of conflicts. The 911 center needs some fine-tuning but shouldn’t be a political issue.

v Mike Shepard, 62, is serving his fourth term on the Columbia Falls City Council. He retired seven years ago from installing radiant heating systems.

Shepard touted his experience on the Columbia Falls City Council and said he understands how local governments work, including the budget process. He said commenting on the Whitefish doughnut issue is somewhat moot because it’s tied up in litigation. He said he thinks the county could avoid lawsuits if commissioners worked with board members and department heads to develop solid policies.

v Cal Scott, 68, is the founder and director of Enhancing the Homeownership Ideals for Community and was appointed interim county commissioner in April following Commissioner Jim Dupont’s death.

Scott said if he had been part of the process years ago, he wouldn’t have advocated for the city of Whitefish to have any jurisdiction in the doughnut area unless the area was annexed into the city. He favors mediation over legal battles and said the county is facing a crisis because the tax base is based on inflated property values from 2008.

v Ben Stormes, 55, is retired from a career as CEO and part owner of a Detroit manufacturing facility. He currently owns a business that offers avalanche awareness, self-rescue and certification courses.

Stormes said he believes the Whitefish doughnut battle is a prime example of regulation without representation and said he’d make sure his county constituents would be fairly represented in matters of planning jurisdiction. In budget matters, the county would be well-served to have commissioners move away from the table and physically look at items the county spends money on. He also wants to talk to constituents who are affected by county budgets.

District 3

v Bob Herron, 63, is a former Kalispell City Council member and owns Bob Herron Insurance.

Herron has a pro-business and pro-growth platform and would focus on ways the county can help recruit new business to the valley. He said he believes the county should have planning control of the Whitefish doughnut.

He also believes better leadership “to get people to sit down and solve these issues” would result in fewer lawsuits. Herron would use the same collaborative approach for the 911 center “to get the three cities and county in a room and ... get it fixed.”

v Terry Kramer, 56, owns a construction company, a consulting and management business and a holding company that owns commercial properties.

Kramer zeroes in on efficiency and favors the public and private partnerships some county departments already have developed. The county needs to be involved in jurisdiction of the Whitefish doughnut “because the [county] residents have asked for that.”

He wants to see fewer lawsuits for the county because litigation ultimately costs the taxpayers money. Regarding control of the 911 center, Kramer said any entity runs better if there’s one manager.

v Gary Krueger, 53, previously ran Flathead Valley Concrete and helps out his son Ryan, who now runs the business. He also works on the family farm.

Krueger, a longtime West Valley School Board member who also serves on the county Board of Adjustment, said he’s a community leader who wants to see the county promote job and business creation. The county commissioners should represent Whitefish doughnut residents unless the area is annexed by the city of Whitefish, Krueger maintains.

He, too, would like to see less litigation and more equitable solutions to issues involving the county. As for the 911 center, he believes there are merits to having the three cities involved, even though the county may need to take a larger operational role.

v Mike Schlegel, 47, is president of Schlegel and Sons, a road construction business.

Schlegel believes in open communication with citizens, that government should be innovative, proactive, transparent and accountable to taxpayers. He also wants to promote a business-friendly atmosphere that stimulates the local economy.

The Whitefish doughnut is “absolutely” within the county’s jurisdiction, he said. Schlegel favors a long-term road maintenance plan to increase county efficiency and would like to see more long-range planning in all county departments.

v Gerald “Jay” Scott, 58, is a part-time sales representative for KGEZ radio and operated a ranch for 35 years.

He managed the county fairgrounds for 12 years before the Fair Board opted not to renew his contract after an audit report criticized money management at the fair.

He later sued the county over the job termination and reached a confidential settlement with the county.

Scott said his experience as fairgrounds manager gives him “a lot to offer the county” because he knows how the county and its budgeting process work.

He said he would work hard to develop a rapport with department heads and would visit county operations to see firsthand what issues employees are dealing with. Scott sees work to be done in figuring out how the 911 center should be governed to make sure it operates efficiently. In the Whitefish doughnut saga he believes the county should govern the two-mile area.