Flathead County Commissioner Cal Scott said he’s up to speed on issues facing the county and can hit the ground running if he is re-elected.

“Early on, being a commissioner is a learning process, and with the critical issues we’re facing we can’t afford another learning curve,” Scott said.

He’s the only incumbent for the District 1 commissioner seat. Scott faces challenger Phil Mitchell for the Republican nomination in the June 3 primary election. The winner will compete in the Nov. 4 general election against the winner of the Democratic race between Jack Garlitz and Stacey Schnebel.

Early voting begins Monday for the primary election in Flathead County.

Scott was appointed a commissioner following the death of Commissioner Jim Dupont in March 2012 and was elected later that year to fill out the remainder of Dupont’s term.

He said the current commission is “not quite where it needs to be” in terms of transparency.

“There’s still some resistance to openly discuss matters,” Scott said, adding that he has tried to lead discussion on matters when he has felt it was warranted. “I’m very well-known for studying things and speaking to all sides of an issue, with foresight in looking ahead. I’d openly and publicly require that matters be discussed openly.”

Scott acknowledged the county has been investing heavily in its facilities over the past several years, with the renovation of the main courthouse, the addition of a third floor to the Earl Bennett Building, renovation of the former Blue Building (now Courthouse West), plus projects on tap to renovate the old jail and enhance the county fairgrounds, among other improvements. But it hasn’t been excessive spending, he said.

“Making do with Band-Aid fixes is not cost-effective or realistic,” he said. “We need to be proactive, not reactive. With proper data and realistic perspectives we should be able to anticipate the challenges we’ll have.”

He supports a centralized location for a new Agency on Aging facility, which he said needs to be built “the quicker the better.” He continues to favor a site on county property adjacent to the fairgrounds.

Scott said he believes the county should have a role in the future of the Columbia Falls Aluminum Co. site, and ideally he would like to see the state Department of Environmental Quality, economic development groups and Glencore, the plant owner, work together on readying the property for the future.

“I look at it as business and economic development,” he said. While the environmental issues need to be addressed, Scott said he also would like to see a review of the value of the plant’s assets, which could be used to offset some of the liability.

Regarding the controversy over the commissioners’ decision to back out of the grant process for a slope mediation project off Whitefish Stage Road, Scott stands by his assertion that the county’s involvement could set a precedent for the county “taking full liability” if the slope were to fail.

Scott maintains the commissioners weren’t fully informed about the grant process when it began years ago and felt “blindsided” when the commissioners were asked to sign off on the federal grant. He said a co-application, possibly with the state Department of Natural Resources and Conservation, “would have been wiser.”

He also stands by his vote for a water compact process involving the Salish and Kootenai Tribes instead of overtly endorsing the compact as it’s currently written.

“I voted for the process. We are mandated to provide a compact,” he said. “The problem we’ve had is in the ability to discuss and make concessions on both sides.”

Scott further said he’s “angry with the rampant sensationalism” that surfaced after the Flathead commissioners voted in support of the compact process.

“Sadly it’s brought out by ranting and raving rather than through due process,” he said.

When asked whether all of Flathead County should be zoned, Scott said he doesn’t know how all taxpayers feel about that.

“I’m not an advocate of rules and regulations for the sake of having them,” he said. “I’m an advocate of sensible measures, to prevent harm to other people.”

Scott said the day may come when the county will have to consider some measure of building oversight beyond electrical and septic permits.

“Do we take the taxpayers’ dollars to rectify nearsighted decisions or look with foresight?” Scott asked.

If the county were to implement a building code process, Scott said the county would need to study how it would affect the local economy and what needs there are to pay for growth. Such codes also would need to protect the Montana culture and way of life.

“How far do we go in regulating before we take away from our uniqueness and independence?” he said.

That said, Scott also maintained the commissioners need to be poised to handle growth throughout the county, which he sees as a “constant evolutionary process.

“We can’t evolve or grow without change or with the mentality of the 1950s, ’60s and ’70s,” he said. “I’m a realist.”

Scott said his 2009 bankruptcy filing and his claim to have a degree in civil engineering when he in fact did not — an issue that surfaced right before the 2012 general election — have continued to dog him to some degree, but he said he has worked to rise above people’s judgment calls.

“Some people judge without all the information,” he said. “I’ve gotten a greater purpose for my life and am moving on with a good, fresh perspective.”

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